A friend of mine asked me a few days ago when I last went on vacation – a real one. I struggled to remember the last time I went on a trip and didn't write or, before that, keep up with what was going on at the office. After stopping and focusing, I remembered a four-day trip I took to Orlando back in late 2005. Even there, I'm not sure that I didn't work, I just don't remember spending time behind the laptop. Before that, my last vacation was probably four days in San Diego in 2002 (again, I don't remember working but probably did) or the two weeks I took off when being reassigned from South Korea to Georgia in 1998.

Apparently, I'm not alone. Lots of people don't take vacations, according to a recent Reuters/Ipsos study. Ask any employee in the world if he uses his vacation time, and a there's a 33 percent chance the answer will be a resounding "no."

In a survey of 12,500 people from 24 countries, the French, unsurprisingly, are most likely to take advantage of the vacation days they are given, with 89 percent using all they are given. Argentina comes in next at 80 percent, followed by Hungary (78 percent) and Britain (77 percent). Think about it: in the top four, up to 25 percent of a country's employees don't blow through their vacation days.

Now, consider how grim the situation is at the other end of the spectrum.

Northeast Philadelphia is a melting pot of rowhomes and single houses, mom and pop businesses and corporate chains. Convenient stores are plentiful and the often busy streets have become traffic nightmares, thanks to construction projects that have occupied our neighborhoods.

Yet, despite the madness that can inhabit our days, residents of Northeast Philadelphia can find an oasis within walking distance or a quick drive down the road. Nine miles of nature, history and entertainment is at our doorsteps and has been for the past 105 years.

Pennypack Park is a jogger's paradise. It also ranks high amongst bikers, power walkers and families looking for something educational and relaxing to do. Horse trails weave in and out of a vast wall of trees and the park itself takes a dramatic end with breathtaking views of Delaware River. Pennypack Park is also a popular spot for fishing and the creek is stocked with trout several times throughout the year.

During the summer months, residents of Northeast Philadelphia can jam to their favorite music every Wednesday night. Completely donor funded, Pennypack Park's Summer Concert Series offers free musical events, featuring live bands and covering the popular music of the Rolling Stones, Bruce Springsteen, Tina Turner and more.

Best of all, the noise of the street can be muffled by the trees and replaced by song birds. After a busy day, aren't you glad you live near Pennypack Park?

Christina Cartalfalsa is a Seed.com contributor.

Big-city hoteliers will be happier sooner than their small-time counterparts. It looks like demand for rooms in smaller cities is going to take longer to come back, with rate increases unlikely, it seems until next summer. The New York market has already shown a solid recovery, thanks to the corporate cards that keep road warriors away from home. For the little guys, though, the future isn't as bright ... at least, it won't be until almost a year from now.

According to a study by Smith Travel Research, here are five interesting (and important) facts about the U.S. hotel market:

1. Flat occupancy: Small-town and highway hotels stayed basically flat for the first half of 2010, at 49 percent. Meanwhile, metro markets – like New York, Chicago and Washington, DC – pushed from 61 percent for the first half of 2009 to 65 percent for the same period in 2010.

2. Follow the money: Major hotel companies, including Marriott and Wyndham, have demonstrated that the cities have been kinder to them financially. The cash is coming from bigger city properties.

You can only go to Cuba if President Obama takes the fun out of it. He's looking for ways to ease travel restrictions, particularly for educational and cultural trips. This follows last year's liberalization of travel to Cuba for Americans with family on the island.

Currently, Americans can only travel to Cuba on educational or cultural trips under certain conditions – e.g., if they are students or employees at qualifying universities and stack up against an additional set of requirements, such as conducting research toward a graduate degree.

According to a spokesman for the White House National Security Council: "We will continue to pursue policies that advance the U.S. national interest and support the Cuban people's desire to freely determine their country's future."

Obama's activity isn't new, according to Bloomberg News:

Travel and trade restrictions on Cuba have been adjusted by nearly every U.S. administration since then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower established trade limits in 1960, following Fidel Castro's revolution against the U.S.-backed Batista regime. Former President George W. Bush banned some educational exchanges not directly related to academic coursework in 2003, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service.

[photo by hoyasmeg via Flickr]

Guests came face to face with pure evil at LEGOLAND California. Flanked by his 501st Legion of Storm Troopers, Darth Vader descended upon the park for LEGO STAR WARS Days. The two-day event, which ends today, consists of a number of geek-friendly activities (appealing to a guy like me) including a Droid Hunt, video game battles, building, trivia competitions and a costume contest.

According to LEGOLAND California:

One of the most popular LEGO STAR WARS™ Days events is the Droid Hunt. Guests of all ages receive collectible "droid badges" if they are among the first in line at The Beginning of the Park. When guests wearing the collectible droid badges are "caught" within the Park by members of the 501st Legion, they must respond to the question "How long have you had these droids?" to receive a raffle ticket for the chance to win fantastic LEGO STAR WARS™ and LEGOLAND California merchandise.

Showing up in costume comes with the potential to win, with prizes valued at more than $500. Packages include LEGO STAR WARS toys, collectibles and tickets to LEGOLAND California Resort.

Gallery: LEGOLAND California STAR WARS Days

Here are the hottest gear deals for today, Sunday August 8, 2010. Remember, these deals are often valid for just one day, so act fast before they are gone.

Today's first deal is for a Be.ez 10" netbook sleeve. The sleeve is available in various colors, but you may need to play around with the color choices to find the lowest price. Click here for this deal.

Next up is the BumbleBee B3 Bluetooth headset, on sale at Abt.com for $9. This headset features 4.5 hours talk time and a 32 foot range. Click here for this deal.

Today's third deal is for the Sony MDR-NC7 noise canceling headphones. These folding headphones come with an extension cord, airplane adapter and a carrying case. On sale for $18.99 at Tanga.com.

And finally in today's lineup is the new Kensington pocket battery for smartphones. This battery pack differs from others on the market because its charging cables are built into the product. On the left is a MiniUSB cable, and on the right is MicroUSB. No more losing your charging cables! On sale for $29.99, click here for this deal.

Next weekend, August 14-15, is the third, and final, fee free weekend in America's national parks for 2010. For those two days, more than 100 of the parks will open their gates to the public at no cost, giving visitors a chance to experience "America's best idea" for themselves.

The complete list of parks that will be waiving their entry fees can be found by clicking here. That list includes such spectacular icons as Yosemite, Yellowstone, and Acadia, as well as lesser known, but no less amazing, parks like Big Bend, the Dry Tortugas, and Crater Lake. All told, more than 40 states are represented on the list, which means there is a national park or monument that will be free to visit next weekend near just about everyone in the U.S.

The fee free weekends have been very popular that past few years, and crowds in the parks will no doubt be high. But if you can't make it out to your favorite national park on the 14th or 15th, never fear, as there are still two more fee free days to come in 2010. On Saturday, Sept. 25th, the parks will be free in celebration of Public Lands Day and then once again on Thursday, Nov. 11th, in honor of Veteran's Day.

With summer quickly coming to a close, take advantage of this last fee free weekend of the year for some outdoor fun and adventure.

[Photo credit: National Park Service]

When you step into a cab, you never know what you're going to find. The driver could be knowledgeable, helpful, pleasant and safe. Or, he could lead you into a fender-bender in minutes. It's a real roll of the dice, of course, though some cities' cabbies are certainly better than others – at least that's what hotels.com found.

In a study of world's taxi drivers, hotels.com found that London's are tops. But, you get what you pay for: London's taxis were also the most expensive. New York came in second, with 27 percent of the vote (compared to London's overwhelming 59 percent). New York's drivers ticked up 10 percentage points, but this still wasn't enough to break the tie it scored with Paris for having the rudest cabbies. Rome picked up the dubious distinction of having the worst drivers.

Tokyo (26 percent), Berlin (17 percent) and Bangkok (14 percent) round out the world's top five.

Madrid took sixth, followed by Copenhagen, Dublin, Frankfurt and Paris. So, Denmark may be happier, but Spain has better cab drivers.

Of course, there's always one you should look out for ...

[photo by Ben Fredericson via Flickr]

The past two years have been nothing short of severe for the travel business, especially the airlines. Fortunately, it looks like luck is turning. Barney Hartford, President and CEO of Orbitz Worldwide, says that the airline sector appears to be on the mend, at least for business travel. Consumers, on the other hand, aren't buying back in as aggressively, as high fares are battling with continued economic constraints for wallet share.

The average airfare for domestic travel is up 10 percent, according to Hartford, with international fares surging 17 percent. He notes to CNBC:

"We are seeing ... a moderation in the increases in air tickets that we were seeing in perhaps May and June, where we saw some really stronger increases in air tickets," Harford went on to say. "We're hopeful that we'll see an increase in capacity in the airline sector, which will drive some moderation in (the price of) airline tickets."

Nonetheless, you can still find some bargains out there, according to Hartford. Look for the best values in Caribbean destinations.

[photo by emrank via Flickr]

We've asked some of our Seed contributors from around the U.S. to share their 'hidden treasure' in their hometown. We rounded up what we think are the top 10 hometown finds and are bringing them to you over the next 10 days, starting with this one from Lafayette, California...

One of the newest finds in Lafayette, California is Roya's Garlic Garden, a restaurant that just opened on Mount Diablo Blvd. All the ingredients are fresh, not canned. They serve this amazing chocolate cake and a Camembert filled with parsley and cloudberry jam. After ordering, Roya herself came to my cousin (who was pregnant at the time) and told her she wasn't putting egg yolk in the Spaghetti Carbonara she ordered and using a food substitute because pregnant women aren't allowed raw egg. It was amazing customer service and ever since then I've been recommending Roya's to everyone I know in the Lamorinda area. The restaurant also blends well with the other stores in the area (Bedazzled, Pure Spa) and I hope it becomes the place to go in Lafayette. Parking is spare, so arrive early.

Roya's Garlic Garden
3576 Mt. Diablo Blvd
Lafayette, CA 94549