“Even with gas prices going up, it would be hard to fly somewhere and get hotels for two weeks for nearly the same price,” said Mr. Willamor, who works in information technology support.
In recent weeks, Mr. Willamor has cut down on unnecessary local driving and is working from home a few days a week. On the road, he checks pump prices on the GasBuddy app and uses rewards programs to save a few cents on each gallon. Mr. Willamor also has a credit card with 2 percent cash back on gas purchases and his family plans to pack lunches and cook dinners at campsites. “Combine all that and we will save a little bit,” he said, estimating that he will spend around $800 on fuel during his trip.
It’s expected that gas prices will continue to be expensive this summer. In the spring, gas stations will switch to summer-grade fuel, a more expensive, environmentally friendly blend that’s better for ozone levels during hot months. It will add 7 to 10 cents per gallon, according to Mr. Gladden of AAA.
Travel Trends That Will Define 2022
Looking ahead. As governments across the world loosen coronavirus restrictions, the travel industry hopes this will be the year that travel comes roaring back. Here is what to expect:
A greater roadblock for some potential road-trippers is the continuing shortage of rental cars.
Low fleet inventories, coupled with supply-chain issues for new cars and car parts, continue to plague companies as they struggle with continuing high demand. Rising costs are a result. In February, the average rental car rate was $75 per day on the travel booking website Kayak, a 50 percent increase compared to the $50 average in February 2019.
Travel agents who once booked rental cars for clients are considering alternatives.
“There’s different ways to work around the situation,” said Mary Cropper, an agent at Audley Travel in Boston who plans custom road trips in the Southwest. To avoid rental cars in Las Vegas and Tucson, Ariz., both popular with tourists, she’ll arrange for her clients to use free hotel shuttles from the airport and organize tour groups that pick up and drop off clients at their lodging. She’ll book rental cars only for destinations farther afield, like the Grand Canyon and Monument Valley in Utah.
“It’s really just about making sure it’s as efficient as possible,” Ms. Cropper said about travel planning this year. “I can tell people are really itching to get out of town and they are open to ideas.”
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