High gas prices vs. summer travel: Will road trips decline as costs fluctuate?

JEFFERSON COUNTY, Ohio — Summertime means vacation for many. But with inflation and fluctuating gas prices, will people still be hitting the pavement?

When you’re reaching for the pump, you may realize gas prices continuing to change. The national average, according to AAA, is $3.46, fluctuating from last year and last month. So how will it impact summer travel?

Many drivers say the uptick in prices means less vacation and more staycation.

“It limits your activities, or how far you want to go, because with the price of gas that takes away from other spending,” Angela Straight said.

Brandon Crawford can attest to that.

“They go up and down,” he said. “It’s like playing seesaw with the gas prices.”

As the price to fill up his bus adds up, especially as his business requires him to travel just for work matters.

“It’s around 150 every time I fill it up,” Crawford said. “It’s the diesel, so it does good. But that’s really expensive.”

AAA says, despite the numbers, they don’t expect travel to be impacted as they saw more than 44 million travelers just over Memorial Day weekend to kick off the summer.

AAA spokesperson Lynda Lambert says they saw impacts a few years ago when prices were at record highs but think it won’t be a problem this time around.

“Most Americans will probably prioritize travel and cut back in other areas so they can take that dream trip,” Lambert said.

She added there’s a whole reason behind the sudden changes in price, too.

“Some of that has to do with the price of crude oil, which is creeping up again,” Lambert said. “Today, it’s around $78 a barrel. Earlier in the week, it was $74 a barrel. So, that has a significant impact on the price of gasoline.”

Lambert said if demand continues to increase, then we will most likely see gas prices go up, but it’s hard to predict.

If you want to check out summer travel trends and gas prices, tap or click HERE.