Despite High Gas Prices, Road Trips Are Still Popular

“Even with gas prices going up, it would be hard to fly somewhere and get hotels for two weeks for nearly the same price,” mentioned Mr. Willamor, who works in info know-how assist.

In current weeks, Mr. Willamor has lower down on pointless native driving and is working from residence a number of days every week. On the highway, he checks pump costs on the GasBuddy app and makes use of rewards applications to avoid wasting a number of cents on every gallon. Mr. Willamor additionally has a bank card with 2 p.c money again on gasoline purchases and his household plans to pack lunches and prepare dinner dinners at campsites. “Combine all that and we will save a little bit,” he mentioned, estimating that he’ll spend round $800 on gasoline throughout his journey.

It’s anticipated that gasoline costs will proceed to be costly this summer time. In the spring, gasoline stations will change to summer-grade gasoline, a costlier, environmentally pleasant mix that’s higher for ozone ranges throughout scorching months. It will add 7 to 10 cents per gallon, in keeping with Mr. Gladden of AAA.

A larger roadblock for some potential road-trippers is the persevering with scarcity of rental automobiles.

Low fleet inventories, coupled with supply-chain points for brand new automobiles and automobile elements, proceed to plague firms as they wrestle with persevering with excessive demand. Rising prices are a consequence. In February, the common rental automobile fee was $75 per day on the journey reserving web site Kayak, a 50 p.c enhance in comparison with the $50 common in February 2019.

Travel brokers who as soon as booked rental automobiles for purchasers are contemplating options.

“There’s different ways to work around the situation,” mentioned Mary Cropper, an agent at Audley Travel in Boston who plans customized highway journeys within the Southwest. To keep away from rental automobiles in Las Vegas and Tucson, Ariz., each widespread with vacationers, she’ll prepare for her purchasers to make use of free resort shuttles from the airport and manage tour teams that choose up and drop off purchasers at their lodging. She’ll e-book rental automobiles just for locations farther afield, just like the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley in Utah.

“It’s really just about making sure it’s as efficient as possible,” Ms. Cropper mentioned about journey planning this 12 months. “I can tell people are really itching to get out of town and they are open to ideas.”