Trips on a Tank
Don't let skyrocketing gas prices put the brake on your travel plans. We found four destinations with no fill-up required.

Sunday, May 28, 2006

Travelers, start your engines.

Yes, we know. Gas is expensive (nearly 90 cents more a gallon than at this point in 2005). Tolls are excessive. And that line at the Bay Bridge isn't getting any shorter.

Buck up (and buckle up), road worriers. We've found four great under-the-radar getaways that you can get to from the Beltway and back on a single fill-up -- in other words, a trip on a tank.

How far can you drive without having to refuel? To find out, we took a list of last year's top five best-selling passenger cars and went to Fueleconomy.gov, a Web site provided by the U.S. Department of Energy and the Environmental Protection Agency. Our best estimate, based on similar 2005 models: about 420 miles.

Admittedly, if you drive an SUV or a truck or an older model or a newer model or a hybrid, your mileage may vary. Greatly. With that in mind, we limited our adventures to about 300 miles round trip, because there's no accounting for traffic, last-minute side trips, gas-guzzling mountain roads or a wrong turn down a dirt path.

Looking for a quiet retreat on the Eastern Shore? Consider Oxford, Md.. For a lively brush with the Civil War, we suggest Petersburg, Va. If you prefer mountains and massages, head to the spa town of Berkeley Springs, W.Va. And families will enjoy the boating and fishing on Raystown Lake, Pa. -- as well as the llama farm en route.

So fuel up and put the car in drive. It wouldn't be summer without a few bugs on the windshield.

::Continue on to our Trips on a Tank roundup package::