What to do on your summer break.(have you heard?)(Editorial)

When I was a kid, summer meant more than freedom from school. Limits my parents set for my sisters and me the rest of the year sailed out the wide-open window just as the bell of the ice-cream truck drifted in. As an adult, indulging in a daily dose of fudge tipple would cost me in more ways than one. But there's plenty of other fun to be had in the warm months, and this issue of CONSUMER REPORTS is quite a dishful of tips on how to make the most of it.

Sleeping over. Our CR Investigates report (page 12) on hotels tells you how to get the best rates for the best rooms. Don't jump at the first rate you see and don't expect Expedia, Travelocity, Hotels.com, and other travel sites to always offer the lowest rate. We often got the best deals the old-fashioned way By haggling with hotel reservation agents over the phone, we negotiated as much as $180 off the nightly price of a room and got other extras, such as discounted parking or a room with a better view.

Road trip. Predictions are that gas prices will continue to set record highs this summer. So a drive to farm country could cost you the farm. Whatever you drive, check the gas-saving tips on page 7. If you're considering buying a new vehicle, know that even at $1.50 per gallon, a car that gets 30 mpg will cost you approximately $500 less in fuel every year than one that gets 15 mpg. It will also spew about 3.75 fewer tons of carbon ...