Pumped up to travel
DENVER — Lauren Hillquist figures he may have to skip five-star cuisine in favor of pizza to save a few bucks when he pulls his 39-foot trailer through Colorado this summer.
But while the price of gasoline could near $3 a gallon, the Sahuarita, Ariz., retiree and his wife, Barbara, haven’t given a thought to canceling the trip in their truck-and-trailer rig, which averages eight to nine miles a gallon.
“I’ll find other ways to save on the money,” said Hillquist, 64. “We’ll spend more time going to whatever, Pizza Hut, or we’ll find other ways to cut back.
“Three dollars? No, I’d still travel. Three and a half? Probably still travel. We may change. Instead of going 10 weeks, we may go six weeks. But we won’t quit doing it.”
Travelers and travel experts say they still expect a busy tourism season across the West this spring and summer, but the high gas prices will have an effect — through shorter stays, smaller trips and fewer purchases.
Betty Bliler, who owns Gil’s Trading Post in Livingston, Mont., near Yellowstone National Park, is more concerned about gas prices than the potential for summer wildfires. Business, she says, is starting to pick up, but “I have no idea what the summer could bring.”
As a result of rising crude oil prices, the average price of regular unleaded gas has climbed 28 percent since January, with the nationwide average at $2.24 a gallon on Monday — up 42.4 cents from the same day in 2004, according to an Energy Department forecast.
Nationwide, prices are forecast to average $2.28 for a gallon of unleaded regular this summer, 38 cents higher than last year. The price is expected to peak at $2.35 next month, but not drop below $2 a gallon. The agency does not compile forecasts on regional levels.
Price is important in the West where traveling by car, van or RV is the most popular way to see the sights, be it whale watching off the coast of Washington, kayaking in Colorado’s rivers or watching the geysers in Yellowstone.
The Travel Industry Association of American won’t have summer forecasts available for another month, but numbers are expected to be solid given the strength of the economy and consumer confidence, spokeswoman Cathy Keefe said.
“I don’t think we’ll have a big impact on summer travel because of the high gas prices,” she said in an e-mail. “We’ve found that people tend to modify their trips before they’ll cancel them.”
More AAA members are asking about gas prices with travelers opting for alternatives, such as more frequent trips at shorter distances or staying fewer days, said Mary Greer of the association’s Colorado branch.
Taking out a calculator can help. For example, a vehicle that gets about 20 miles to the gallon will use 50 gallons for a 1,000-mile trip. If gas is 50 cents higher this year than in 2004, an additional $25 will be needed for the same trip.
Ted Molter, marketing director of the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, doesn’t believe rising gas prices will be a significant barrier for summer travelers. He says the prices are “not enough for me to decide not to go somewhere.”