Ranks of family and multigenerational travel, river cruises, active or adventure trips, luxury cruises, and celebration travel on the list of the five biggest travel trends emerging for 2012, according to Virtuoso: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Italy, France, South Africa, Australia and England on the list of the five most popular international destinations for travelers in 2012: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Virtuoso.

Ranks of grocery shopping, household chores and cooking on the list of areas where men believe their role has increased over the last five years, according to a survey from Planters: 1, 2, 3

Ranks of exercise, eating home-cooked meals and choosing healthier snacks on the list of areas where men have taken steps to stay healthier over the last five years: 1, 2, 3

Source: Kraft Foods.

Percentage of all Americans who predict they will spend less than four hours total on this year's spring cleaning, according to the Stanley Steemer Spring Cleaning survey conducted by Kelton: 50

Percentage who say they will spend less than one hour or no time at all: 18

Source: Kelton Research.

Year that President Nixon signed a bill into law prohibiting cigarette advertising on the nation's airwaves, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1970

Estimated percentage of Americans who currently smoke: 20

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage fall in overall beer consumption in the U.S. last year, according to the Beverage Information Group's Handbook Advance 2012: 1.5

Percentage growth in spirits: 2.6

Source: Beverage Information Group.

When asked what one item they can't live without during travel, percentage of respondents who said a good book or e-reader is a must-have, according to a survey conducted for HomeAway: 24

Percentage who said they need the comfort of their favorite pillow: 18

Source: Home Away.

Ranks of Boston ($194), New York ($172), Philadelphia ($154), Washington, D.C. ($145) and New Orleans ($117) on the list of the most expensive cities for travelers to secure the cheapest available double room located in or very close to the city's center or its main attractions, according to CheapHotels.org: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Ranks of Orlando ($33), Las Vegas ($36), Anaheim ($45), Myrtle Beach ($51) and Atlanta ($52) on the list of the least expensive cities: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

Source: Cheaphotels.org.

Percentage of professionals who said their employers viewed international experience as important or very important, according to research commissioned by global specialist recruiter Hydrogen Group and conducted by ESCP: 72

Percentage of 2012 respondents who would at least consider relocating overseas, are currently considering it or have already relocated, recognizing international experience as a key factor in career success: 94

Source: Hydrogen Group.

Percentage of women in America who have used intimacy enhancement products, according to research conducted by Masque Sexual Flavors: 44

Percentage of these women who were in a committed relationship: 78

Source: Masque Sexual Flavors.

Percentage of respondents who report that they always proactively take steps to green their home or lifestyle, such as recycling, driving energy-efficient vehicles, weatherizing their home, using eco-friendly products, etc., according to an Ipsos poll conducted on behalf of RetailMeNot.com: 25

Percentage of respondents who say that they are more inclined to buy a product if it is environmentally friendly: 46

Source: Ipsos Public Affairs RS.

Idle Thought

"If what you are getting online is for free, you are not the customer, you are the product." -- Jonathan Zittrain, professor of Internet law

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of women who say they have at least one girlfriend who needs to simplify her life but can't or won't, according to a Wakefield Research, Schick Intuition brand survey: 71

Despite busy schedules and never-ending to-do lists, percentage of women who are "yes" women and willing to accommodate everyone and everything: 59

Source: Wakefield Research.

Amount of money per gallon in hidden bank fees that drivers are paying every time they gas up, according to a study by the National Association of Convenience Stores: 6 to 10 cents

Estimated amount of money that convenience stores paid in card fees last year, a jump of almost 25 percent and an amount almost 90 percent greater than their profits: $11 billion

Source: National Association of Convenience Stores.

Year that the 16th Amendment to the Constitution gave Congress the right to levy income taxes, according to the U.S. Census Bureau: 1913

Estimated number of returns that were filed that year: 360,000

Estimated number of returns that now are submitted annually: 142.5 million

Source: U.S. Census Bureau.

Percentage of workers who said they would be somewhat or very likely to leave their current position if they didn't feel appreciated by their manager, according to a survey developed by OfficeTeam: 49

When asked what type of recognition they value most, percentage who said they prefer tangible rewards such as financial compensation or gift cards: 38

Source: OfficeTeam.

Percentage of people who leave the door open while using the bathroom when they're home alone, according to a survey by Georgia-Pacific and conducted by Strategy One: 33

Percentage of respondents who read in the bathroom: 74

Percentage who talk on the phone: 47

Percentage who watch TV: 23

Source: Strategy One.

Average number of miles that motorists estimate a vehicle should go before it is sent into retirement, according to a national survey by Quaker State and conducted by Kelton Research: 200,000

Number of miles a vehicle will have accumulated before American car owners consider it to be "old": 147,000

Percentage of vehicle owners who are more concerned with engine upkeep than their vehicle's aesthetics on the inside or outside: 86

Source: Kelton Research.

Average amount of money that American families who have teenagers will spend on prom per child, according to a national survey by Visa: $1,078

Average amount spent by Northeastern families: $1,944

Average amount spent by Southern families: $1,047

Average amount spent by Midwestern families: $696

Average amount spent by Western families: $744

Source: Visa USA.

Percentage growth in annual U.S. wireless data traffic from 2010 (388 billion megabytes) to 2011 (866.7 billion megabytes), according to a semi-annual survey by the CTIA -- The Wireless Association trade group: 123

To put wireless data traffic of 2011 into perspective, if you were walking and listening to five songs per mile and each song lasted for four minutes in 2011, the number of miles you would walk: 173,364,056,929

Number of times around the world this represents: 6,962,132

Source: CTIA -- The Wireless Association.

Percentage of homeowners who are planning home improvement projects, according to a survey conducted by the National Association of the Remodeling Industry and Sherwin-Williams: 70

Ranks of painting, landscaping and remodeling a room on the list of the most-desired needs: 1, 2, 3

Percentage of homeowners who believe a room or area of their home is currently in need of painting: 70

Source: Sherwin-Williams.

Percentage of American adults who are currently "watching" their diet, according to Mintel Research: 52

Percentage who report dieting because they want to lose weight: 60

Percentage of U.S. consumers who claim that they "always" or "usually" consult the Nutrition Facts Panel and/or ingredient the list to assess sodium levels when considering a food purchase: 44

Source: Mintel.

Idle Thought

"A sound mind in a sound body, is a short but full description of a happy state in this world." -- John Locke, philosopher

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)

Percentage of vacation homebuyers who purchased a vacation property last year who did so primarily because of low real estate prices, according to proprietary research commissioned by HomeAway: 33

Percentage who cited the desire for a family retreat: 30

Percentage who cited low mortgage rates: 13

Source: HomeAway.

Percentage of CFOs who said a lack of new ideas is the greatest barrier to their company being more innovative, according to a recent Robert Half survey: 35

Percentage of respondents who cited excessive bureaucracy as the top creativity killer: 24

Percentage who blamed being bogged down with daily tasks or putting out fires: 20

Source: Robert Half International.

Rank of the hot dog on the list of the favorite foods for baseball fans, according to the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council: 1

Projected number of hot dogs Americans will consume this baseball season, enough to round the bases 28,489 times, and if laid end to end would stretch from the new Marlins Ballpark in Miami to Coors Field in Denver: 20.5 million

Source: National Hot Dog and Sausage Council.

Ranks of General Mills, Kraft and Johnson & Johnson on the list of the most reputable companies among U.S. consumers, according to the 2012 U.S. RepTrak Pulse, a study measuring the 150 largest U.S. public companies: 1, 2, 3

Of these 150 companies, percentage that report the CEO as the primary functional leader responsible for setting the reputation strategy: 51

Source: Reputation Institute.

This time last year, and just before the takedown of the Rustock botnet, average number of spam emails that were sent daily, according to the Commtouch report: 150 billion

Since that takedown, average number of spam emails sent per day: 94 billion

Source: Commtouch Spam Detection Center.

Percentage of Americans who have no credit cards at all, according to the Federal Reserve: 25

Among cardholders, percentage who carry a balance (roughly 37 percent of the population): 50

Percentage of the population that is credit card debt free: 63

Amount of credit card debt that is spread out over the 37 percent of the population: $780 billion plus

Source: InCharge Debt Solutions.

Percentage of Americans who say that using a computer without security software is high-risk, according to a study from Webroot: 85

Percentage who say leaving the door to one's home unlocked is high-risk: 82

Percentage who say leaving one's car unlocked is high-risk: 83

Source: Webroot Software Inc.

Percentage of hiring managers who say they currently have open positions for which they cannot find qualified candidates, according to a CareerBuilder survey: 26

Ranks of "being able to retain top talent," "being able to provide competitive compensation," and "worker burnout" on the list of the top staffing challenges in 2012 as cited by hiring managers: 1 (tie), 3

Source: CareerBuilder.com.

Percentage of workers who think it's not very or not at all likely that they or a family member will be diagnosed with a serious illness like cancer, according to The 2012 Aflac WorkForces Report: 62

According to the American Cancer Society, Cancer Facts & Figures 2012, percentage of women who will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lives: 33

Percentage of men: 50

Source: Aflac Inc.

Percentage of women who have pulled over and used nature as their restroom, according to a study by Quilted Northern: 26

Percentage who have postponed using the bathroom until returning home: 69

Percentage of women who have exceeded the speed limit to reach a restroom more quickly: 38

Source: Edelman.

Idle Thought

"It is not so much our friends' help that helps us as the confident knowledge that they will help us." -- Epicurus, philosopher

(Readers can contact John MacIntyre at johnmacintyre(at)bwr.eastlink.ca.)