Deidre O'Brien of Olive Branch had to pass up an invitation for aGulf Shores getaway for her family because she couldn't afford thegas . It costs $80 to fill the tank of her Chevy Tahoe.
Her parents, Robert and Hope Powell, face an even morefrustrating problem. They bought a 35-foot RV and a diesel truck topull it last year, hoping to tour the West when he retires. Now theywatch gas pump prices the way a gambler watches a slot machine,hoping for a winning set of numbers.
High gas prices have thrown a curve to folks planning vacations.The national average for regular gas for the first week in July was$3.58, up more than 86 cents from a year ago, according to theAmerican Automobile Association's Daily Fuel Gauge.
RV park manager Mark Hoggard has seen an 18 percent to 20 percentdrop in RV visitors at Agricenter International's 300-hookup park, afavorite stop for cross-country travelers.
"It hits them pretty hard when you've got a rig that takes $700to fill up and you can go 500 or 600 miles - you can't just driveendlessly."
Airlines say soaring fuel prices are behind fare increases.Average domestic air fares for 2010 were $337, up 8.4 percent from2009, not adjusted for inflation, according to the latest figuresfrom the federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics. That doesn'tinclude this year's increases.
It's enough to discourage Brett Moore, 37, of Downtown Memphis,who used to fly to Las Vegas twice a year to vacation and see familyand friends. The cost was $300 to $350 round trip. Now he's facing$450 minimum , he said.
Mark Parsell, 48, has bid goodbye to the unfriendly skies. Heflew from Memphis to Hilton Head, S.C., every two months for yearsto visit his mother, who is 87. Now he makes 10-hour sojourns viaChevy Impala with no side trips. He doesn't like the price at thepumps, but he sees no choice but to pay it. "It's like takingmedicine," said Parsell. He installed satellite radio.
Barbara Bradley, The Commercial Appeal
--------------------
Some tips
Trim the cost of gasoline or book a cheaper flight with thesetips from savings experts:
Travel with cash: Gas stations often list the price per gallonfor cash-paying customers only. Credit and debit card users may payan additional 10 cents per gallon. (The price-per-gallon you'reactually getting is the one that appears on the pump when the gas isflowing.)
Use smart phone apps or the Internet. GasBuddy coordinates yourlocation with the best gas prices in your area. You may also findthe stations with the lowest prices for your city at gasbuddy.com .Other apps are CheapGas, which provides precise directions to thenearest gas stations with the lowest prices, and Carticipate, whichconnects neighbors interested in sharing rides.
Learn gas card and loyalty card program rules. For example, inMemphis, Kroger's program includes discounts on fuel purchased atKroger and at participating Shell locations. Purchases of non-federally funded prescriptions and gift cards also count toward the100 points you need to earn 10 cents off per gallon up to 35gallons. ($100 in groceries equals 100 Points). Points earned in agiven month are available for use through the end of the followingmonth. If you pay with a 1-2-3 Rewards Mastercard you get an extra 5cents per gallon, but only at Kroger fuel centers. The completerules are at kroger.com .
Airlines tend to start releasing cheaper seats on domesticflights about three to four months before departure. Sign up for"when-to-fly real-time e-mail airfare alerts" from farecompare.comto get a notice of price drops.
The cheapest days to fly are Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.Also know that airlines charge "peak travel surcharges," for almostall flights in the summer and many in November and December.
The maximum number of discounted seats tend to be availablebetween 2 p.m. Central Time on Tuesday and late on Thursday.
Sources: Savings expert Andrea Woroch at andreaworoch.com andfarecompare.com .
--------------------
Комментариев нет:
Отправить комментарий