TRIP TIP

How to snag a hybrid

With gas prices going ever higher, travelers are nabbing what few hybrid rental cars are available. If you want to rent a hybrid while traveling, book as far in advance as possible and choose a non-weekend day for your pickup. If you're traveling out west, reserve from a lesser-name agency, such as Fox Rent a Car (www.foxrentacar.com), which serves nine airports, or its partner EV Rental Cars (www.evrental.com), which serves six California airports and the one in Phoenix. Reserve a hybrid at a neighborhood rental car office instead of the airport, because there might be better availability.

WASHINGTON POST

DISCOUNT SITES

Oops, for their eyes only

Charles Kelber of Rockville, Md., paid $925 to Cheaptickets.com for three nights at the Westin Colonnade in Coral Gables, Fla. He was shocked to see on his bill that Cheaptickets had paid the Westin only $747 for the room. Kelber had run into a common practice among discount travel sites. They negotiate prices for blocks of rooms and probably wouldn't be allowed to pass on the full discount they receive even if they wanted to. Major hotel chains require third-party distributors to keep prices at a certain level. That's a nice windfall commission for agencies, but don't conclude that you paid more than you could have elsewhere. Prices at the Colonnade suggest the Cheaptickets price was in line with prices available at other online sites, including the hotel's.

WASHINGTON POST

BOOK BRIEF

New York freebies

"The Cheap Bastard's Guide to New York City," by Rob Grader ($14.95, Globe Pequot): You've got to love the name, and the idea is pretty nifty, too, with more than 1,000 listings for freebies you probably didn't know about. Included are health clinics, open mike nights in comedy clubs, theaters, museums, walking tours. Some of the options listed do charge a small fee, but most require no cash.

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

TRAVEL TIFF

Chinese shun France

France seems to be falling off the itinerary of Chinese tourists, in a display of China's pique at French support for protesting Tibetans and angry demonstrations against the Olympic torch on the streets of Paris. Some Chinese travel agents have stopped selling tours to France in recent weeks, in some cases removing offerings from their websites. Others said demand for such trips had plummeted by 20 percent or more. France's Foreign Ministry said this week that Chinese officials had issued a verbal order to travel agents to remove France as a destination and stop offering package tours to the country. The China National Tourism Bureau declined comment, while the Beijing Tourism Bureau denied there was such an order.

ASSOCIATED PRESS

REAL DEAL

Travel rewards

Travel companies are offering promotions this summer, such as discounted rates, free gift cards, free rental days and free hotel nights, when you purchase travel by credit card. Book a weekly rental with Avis using a MasterCard and get a free rental day at participating locations in the continental United States. The offer is valid when renting intermediate through full-size four-door cars. Use coupon TUPA008 when booking. Contact: 1-800-331-1212; www.avis.com. Guests at participating Marriott Hotels and Resorts will receive a $25 Visa gift card when they pay for their stay with a Visa card. Use code V12 when booking. Restrictions apply. Contact: 1-877-627-7468; www.marriott.com.

MCCLATCHY NEWSPAPERS

WEB WATCH

Minnesota teen's website

Airfare discount websites aren't exactly rare -- but only one was begun by a Fergus Falls teen when he was just 15 years old. Mark Becker, now 18, recently sent information to Travel about his site, www.airfaredig.com. We logged on, and were impressed. The site lists airfare bargains for U.S. cities, including Minneapolis and Fargo (for the latter, click on "see more" in the list of cities), and offers details such as how to book the fare. Becker, an avid traveler, has long had a reputation among his family and friends for being able to uncover great airfares. Now his Internet sleuthing serves anyone logging onto the site. In the fall, Becker heads to the University of North Dakota, but he promises to keep up www.airfaredig.com.

KERRI WESTENBERG