Record travel for July 4th

If you're road-tripping this holiday weekend, you're in good company. With gasoline prices the lowest in more than a decade, July 4th travelers are expected to hit the road in record numbers. Nearly 43 million Americans will travel for Independence Day, the highest volume on record, according to AAA in its annual July 4th travel forecast. The nation's largest motoring group estimates about 85 percent will travel by car, as drivers take advantage of the lowest pump prices since 2005. "It's prompting more drivers to take to the road," said Nadia Anderson, manager of federal affairs at AAA. "We're seeing more people decide to take that trip 50 miles or more away from their home."

Bloomberg news

Deal of the week: Costa Rica

Costa Rican Vacations is offering a seven-night package to Costa Rica with two free nights. The Romantic Getaway starts at $3,258 per couple (original price was $4,416) and includes airport and hotel transfers; three nights at Arenal Kioro Suites and Spa, with daily buffet breakfast and access to Titokú Hot Springs; four nights at Villa Buena Onda, including all meals; a hidden-beaches tour and barbecue; and taxes. Travel by Dec. 18. Info: 1-800-606-1860, vacationscostarica.com.

Washington Post

New seats on United planes

United Airlines Chief Executive Oscar Munoz laid out a plan this week to generate $3.1 billion in new revenue and savings by 2018. Part of the plan: squeezing more thin-cushion seats into the economy section to increase capacity, and offering more luxury seating for well-heeled fliers at the front of the plane. The carrier is about halfway through retrofitting its Boeing 737 planes with the slimline seats, which have thinner back cushions than its traditional economy seats. The entire airline will be fitted with the seats in 2018 once they are installed on the smaller fleet of 757-300 planes. In December, United will launch a new high-end fare with an international seat dubbed Polaris. The seat is very roomy, has extra storage area and ticket holders get exclusive access to new swanky Polaris hub-airport lounges that include spalike showers and mixologists.

los angeles times

July 4th in Pequot Lakes.

Next-Gen travel guru

Andy Steves, son of travel expert Rick Steves, is publishing "Andy Steves' Europe," his first travel guidebook. While Andy attended the University of Notre Dame (studying industrial design, with a minor in Italian language and literature), a foreign-study term in Italy opened his eyes to a market for the kind of help his father offers travelers — but zeroed in on college students and technology-driven millennials. Out of school in 2010, Andy founded his own business, Weekend Student Adventures, for the backpacker crowd that pops between European capitals on $50 budget flights. The guidebook is an outgrowth of that, as he now divides his time between Prague and Seattle.

Seattle Times

Is your passport valid?

Be sure your passport is valid for at least six months from your date of travel. A passport that will expire a few months after your trip may not be good enough. Some countries require a passport that's valid for six months, because they allow Americans to travel within their country for six months and don't want the passport to expire.

New York Times