10 places to get free gas

6. Wintergreen Resort, Virginia. This luxury resort nestled on the slopes of the Blue Ridge Mountains is offering a “Fuel Friendly” escape that will reimburse up to $75 in gasoline charges when travelers stay at the resort for three nights. To receive reimbursement, you much present gas receipts for purchases of gasoline used to drive to the resort.

7. Whistler, Canada. Whistleraccommodation.com, an online booking agent for this sprawling mountain resort in British Columbia, is offering C$50 of free gas to anyone booking three to six nights by the end of August and arriving before October 31. For those staying seven nights or more, the gas rebate is doubled.

8. Traverse City, Michigan. The Traverse City Convention & Visitors Bureau will give a $25 Speedway gas card to every visitor who calls to reserve a stay of four nights or longer at any of its 43 participating hotels, motels or resorts between now and Labor Day. The cards are redeemable for gas or other merchandise at Speedway service stations anywhere in the country. To qualify, travelers simply book their rooms through the Bureau’s toll-free “Pump Up Your Summer” reservations line, 1-800-714-0051. This gas card has the impact of reducing a $3-a-gallon gas price to $2 a gallon for a visitor who makes a 500-mile round trip to Traverse City in a car that averages 20 miles per gallon.

9. Mount Bachelor Village Resort, Bend, Oregon. For travelers staying at least two nights, this all-season resort set on the banks of the Deschutes River is offering a “Free Fuel for Guests” program consisting of a $50 gas card. The resort offers spa packages and plenty of outdoor activities as well as a series of summer concerts ranging from rock to country and western.

10. Virginia Beach, Virginia. Gold Key Resorts in this vacation region has announced a $20 gasoline voucher redeemable in downtown Virginia Beach for anyone booking a vacation with an arrival date before May 25. Gold Key has a collection of packages that qualify, ranging from $49 to $319 based on three days and two nights. For more information about this promotion, call 1-800-492-9861.

Travelers who can’t find free gas, or who aren’t interested in trading gas vouchers for hotel rooms, can always look for the best deal at the pump. Two Web sites will lead these travelers to the best places to spend the least for gasoline.

• AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report lists average gasoline prices on a state-by-state basis. This site is perfect for a general idea of which states have the lowest prices.

• Gasbuddy.com, a similar site, has reports from individuals across the United States and Canada. These reporters provide actual gas station prices together with names and locations of stations that have current gas deals.

More gas deals may pop up as the summer goes by, and they might not be widely advertised. So, tell your reservations agent that you are driving in from a distance, and ask if the hotel is offering any sort of gas promotion to make the trip worthwhile. The question is sometimes all that is needed to shake something loose.

Drive safe and enjoy the deal.

Charles Leocha is nationally-recognized expert on saving money and the publisher of Tripso. He is also the Boston-based author of "SkiSnowboard America & Canada." E-mail him or visit his Web site. Want to sound off about one of his columns? Try visiting Leocha's forum.

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