High Gas Prices... Lesscamping and travel?

[Old Goat]

We had planned a long camping trip out west starting in mid August. However, with the rapid rise in gas prices, this trip will be on hold.... I think we will be making shorter trips and camping closer to home this summer...Gas is currently !.93 here in Shelby, NC, up .10 cents in a week....Anybody else cutting back on their travel and camping plans?........

Old Goat
 
Pickup and popup
Camping since 1940

[tlhdoc]

We were planning a 10 day trip to Maine in August.  If gas goes much higher we will not be able to afford to go.  It will take at least 150 gallons of gas and that is if we don't do any sight seeing.  I am trying to figure out some alternate plans.

[chasd60]

Tracy,
I got a credit card offer for a ChasePerfect Card before I went to Florida. The offer was 6% off all gas purchases at any station for the first 90 days and 3% off all gas purchases after 90 days. It also has 1% off for all other purchases.
 
My first thought was to use it for my Florida trip and cancel it. I have since decided to keep it because even just the 3% is getting to be quite a bit now. I'll bet they didn't expect to have over $650 just in gas purchases in the first 3 weeks.:eek:
Info here
https://www.chasecreditcard.com/App.asp?target=perfectsa&creative=of0pssy2
 

We were planning a 10 day trip to Maine in August. If gas goes much higher we will not be able to afford to go. It will take at least 150 gallons of gas and that is if we don't do any sight seeing. I am trying to figure out some alternate plans.

[Gone-Camping]

Well, with the employment situation as it was, I didn't have any major trips planned this year. What few trips are on the books had been in jeopardy anyway due to lack of funds. Now that I've got the new job with the RV dealer (I start tomorrow), hopefully we'll be able to get things back on track. However, I've fallen behind on several credit cards and will play hell catching up. So for now, we're still limiting camping trips. I've got Memorial Day trip to outbanks still on, but someone else is paying for my site (loan), so all I gotta do is come up with fuel (-yeah right) and food.

[tlhdoc]

Tracy,
I got a credit card offer for a ChasePerfect Card before I went to Florida. The offer was 6% off all gas purchases at any station for the first 90 days and 3% off all gas purchases after 90 days. It also has 1% off for all other purchases.
 
My first thought was to use it for my Florida trip and cancel it. I have since decided to keep it because even just the 3% is getting to be quite a bit now. I'll bet they didn't expect to have over $650 just in gas purchases in the first 3 weeks.:eek:
Info here
https://www.chasecreditcard.com/App.asp?target=perfectsa&creative=of0pssy2

Charlie that ended up being a great card to get.  So you have read my post and know that going to Maine may not happen for me this year. :confused:

[chasd60]

Charlie that ended up being a great card to get. So you have read my post and know that going to Maine may not happen for me this year. :confused:

You can get 6% off though, maybe if the prices don't go up more than 6%??

[garym053]

As I stated in the poll I recently posted, my Jeep Grand Cherokee gets 18% worse gas mileage towing than it does not towing our pup-up. That was bumming me out until I did the math and realized that at $2.00 per gallon, that was an increase of $2.69 per hundred miles. THAT is not enough to keep me home, OPEC be damned!
I also stated months ago, that once these "trial balloons" are floated, and not met with horrendous outcry, you can be pretty sure they will become reality! (We've had at least one President in the recent past who developed these trial balloons into an art form. I think many of the oil companies and drug companies have been taking lessons!)
They floated the idea of $2.00 to $3.00 per gallon prices by Summer 2004 last Fall. Almost nobody held them up to account for it, especially our elected officials, and now it appears WE will be paying the price!
Kind of makes me want to develop a Tow Vehicle that runs on water and keep it to my self! (Well, I'd share it with PUT members as long as you swore you weren't politicians!!!!)

[copcarguy]

Well, we were supposed to head to Maine with tlhdoc and chasd60 in August...  I haven't cancelled the reservation yet, but we 99.9% probably will, and just due to gas prices.  It costs me about $100 to fill up the van...  According to mapquest, the CG is 470 miles away, and we get 14 - 17mpg towing - you do the math.  

On another note, my commute to work is 100 miles round trip per day, and I haven't even been using the van to drive to work either.  We bought a '95 Ford Escort Wagon as a beater/winter car/s**tbox last October for $800 that regularly gets mid 30's mpg and I was "super gas saver driving" last tankfull and got a whopping 44 mpg!  So I guess that even our normal day to day activities have been affected.  I bought the Escort so the new van wouldn't have to be driven in the winter slop, but I never thought I'd be using it due to gas prices in the summer.  I just charged up the A/C and now I thank God we got that car last winter!  Gas went from $1.759 to $2.209 in the past two weeks.  OUCH!

[angelsmom10]

We usually camp with GLPUC 2-3x a year and several by ourselves.  With DH's job situation and also the cost of gas.  We calculated that we could do at least 2 weekend trips locally for what it would cost us to do one with the group.  So we opted to basically get a weekend free.

[OC Campers]

Gas is $2.34 a gallon here in Southern California. I dread having to fill up my van. We have a 10 day trip planned to the Eastern Sierra's of California and gas will be over $3.00 a gollon there. It is going to be a real hardship to pay that kind of money but for my husbands sanity I have to do it.
 
My gasoline bill last month was $400.  We have an Astro van and a Honda Odyssey.  I am a stay at home mom and my dh is a manager.  Something has to give soon.  The prices are rediculous.
 
Jacqui

[DiW]

Rick,
Maine will cost more than you planned, but it may still be worth it (Maine is really beautiful in summer). Looks to me like you'll need about 64 gallons of gas.  So, even if gas is $.50/gal more than when you when you planned the trip (and it hasn't gone up that much yet), it will only cost you an additional $32.

I need to travel this summer, taking Courtney to look at colleges. I worried about the cost also but realized it's all relative and I don't want to NOT go because of gas costs. I'll have to skimp on something else to make up the difference.

Diane

[tlhdoc]

If gas gets up to $3.00 per gallon it will cost us $450 for gas :yikes: , just to get to Acadia NP and back home.  That doesn't include any running around at the park.  I haven't canceled the trip, but will take a wait and see approach with this trip.

[Miss-Teri]

Saw this today, and thought it was interesting:

Gas prices and taxes by state
State Regular Taxes (in cents) State Regular Taxes (in cents)
Alaska  $2.06  39.6 Montana  $2.02  46.2
Alabama  $1.90  26.4 North Carolina  $1.92  44.1
Arkansas  $1.76  37.4 North Dakota  $2.03  51.6
Arizona  $2.13  39.9 Nebraska  $2.10  39
California  $2.32  50.8 New Hampshire  $1.98  32.9
Colorado  $1.98  40.4 New Jersey  $1.93  36.4
Connecticut  $2.07  48.5 New Mexico  $1.96  51.4
District of Columbia  $2.03  41.4 Nevada  $2.25  43
Delaware  $2.01  38.4 New York  $2.12  39.4
Florida  $1.99  48.8 Ohio  $1.99  44.4
Georgia  $1.89  31.1 Oklahoma  $1.90  35.4
Hawaii  $2.28  54.7 Oregon  $2.28  42.4
Iowa  $1.96  43.4 Pennsylvania  $2.00  45.7
Idaho  $2.06  45.1 Rhode Island  $2.07  49.4
Illinois  $2.08  41.7 South Carolina  $1.85  35.2
Indiana  $2.01  39.7 South Dakota  $1.99  42.4
Kansas  $1.99  43.4 Tennessee  $1.90  39.8
Kentucky  $1.92  34.8 Texas  $1.88  38.4
Louisiana  $1.90  38.4 Utah  $2.01  42.9
Massachusetts  $2.02  44.5 Virginia  $1.91  38.4
Maryland  $1.99  41.9 Vermont  $1.98  37.4
Maine  $2.02  41.9 Washington  $2.26  46.4
Michigan  $2.07  45.6 Wisconsin  $2.09  43.8
Minnesota  $1.99  40.4 West Virginia  $2.00  49.9
Missouri  $1.93  37.2 Wyoming  $1.90  32.4
Mississippi  $1.91  35.4
National average $2.01  42.7
 
Data as of May 19. Sources: AAA and the American Petroleum Institute

The chart didn't print correctly, but the second number after each state is the state taxes.

The problem with something someone said earlier about the safety of bike riding is the numbers don't include percentages.  While there may be far fewer deaths from people on bikes, there are FAR fewer people riding bikes.  Also, there is only one person on a bike usually, compared to many times more than one in a car.  And add in that people don't usually ride in the hottest parts of the summer, or the coldest, snowiest parts of the winter so during those times you only have cars on the road so there will of course be a lot more motor vehicle deaths.  

I think in percentages bike riding is probably a bit more dangerous.  I only point that out to say to be sure to ride safely and use the same precautions you would on a motorcyle - that being pretend you are invisible to other traffic and be prepared to ride defensively.  A helmet is a good idea as well.  Bikes do save gas and are good exercise, just be careful.  

Oh, and our current gas price low is $1.79.  That's sure not low, but after looking at the chart, it's really not that bad.

We are still going on vacation, though - can't help it - the Pop-Up is calling...

[Diplomat]

I live in SoCal where gas is 2.30 right now (at least).  Last year it was 1.60 so it's gone up a little less than 50%.  Gas is no small part of the cost of a trip but it is not the largest.  Overall I think it amounts to about 30% of the cost for me.  It just is not the deciding factor on where I go or how long I drive to get there, even at 2.30/gal.  The rules of capitalism say that gas prices will continue to rise as long as we are willing to pay them, then they will stabilize.  For me I think that as it reaches 3.00/gal I will begin to rethink my gas use.  I can cry if I want but gas costs what it does.  

Camping in a PU involves travel, that's one of the reasons I own one, I like to travel.  Diane makes a great point about the effect on a trips cost as gas raises $0.50/gal, for a trip to Vermont I'll gladly pay $32 more than I originally planned.  I am not about to let worrying about the cost of gas ruin my trips.  You can see by my Avatar that I am by no means wealthy, I make my choices and accept their consequences, no apologies and only as much whinning as SWMBO will let me get away with!

[Miss-Teri]

Overall I think it amounts to about 30% of the cost for me.  It just is not the deciding factor on where I go or how long I drive to get there, even at 2.30/gal.  The rules of capitalism say that gas prices will continue to rise as long as we are willing to pay them, then they will stabilize.  For me I think that as it reaches 3.00/gal I will begin to rethink my gas use.  I can cry if I want but gas costs what it does.  

Camping in a PU involves travel, that's one of the reasons I own one, I like to travel.  Diane makes a great point about the effect on a trips cost as gas raises $0.50/gal, for a trip to Vermont I'll gladly pay $32 more than I originally planned.  I am not about to let worrying about the cost of gas ruin my trips.  You can see by my Avatar that I am by no means wealthy, I make my choices and accept their consequences, no apologies and only as much whinning as SWMBO will let me get away with!

That is exactly what my DH says about it - that gas is such a small percentage of planning a vacation that it won't change our plans.