Plenty of summer travel planned, despite high fuel cost | US Life Post

By Lori Weisberg

Monday, May 16, 2011 at 4:43 p.m.

Elaine Thompson / AP

Some travelers may alter their summer plans because of rising cost of fuel.

The vast majority of those who travel are planning trips this summer, but that doesn?t mean they?re comfortable with how the rising cost of fuel will affect their vacation plans.

According to a new survey by TripAdvisor, 86 percent of those responding to the online site?s annual survey said they are planning leisure trips this summer, up from 83 percent the year before.

While most are committed to getting away, 39 percent said the rising cost of fuel is affecting their plans, so much so that some have simply chosen not to travel.

Nearly 20 percent said they expect to take fewer trips by car, 12 percent intend to take shorter driving trips, 5 percent say they?re not planning to travel at all.

The survey?s respondents are made up of 2,087 TripAdvisor users, 18 and older, who volunteered to participate in the online survey conducted by TripAdvisor.

Because of the escalating cost of fuel, 24 percent of those responding said the maximum distance they are willing to drive for a leisure trip this summer is 200 miles. Roughly one in five, however, said they?d be willing to spend 10 hours or more driving to a destination this summer if it meant significant savings on airfare.

For some, if gas were to reach $5 a gallon, that would the tipping point in persuading them to not travel. Eighteen percent said they will bypass car trips if gas prices reach $5, and an additional 20 percent said they will avoid road trips if costs exceed $5 per gallon.

In good news for the tourism industry, more than a quarter of those surveyed said they will spend more on leisure travel this summer than last, while 42 percent expect to spend the same amount. Of those traveling this summer, 66 percent said they will check into hotels, 28 percent will stay with family or friends, and 18 percent will stay at vacation rental homes.

San Diego recently was named by TripAdvisor as the No. 8 travel destination in the U.S.

Article source: http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2011/may/16/plenty-of-summer-travel-planned-despite-high-fuel/

Source: http://uslifepost.com/plenty-of-summer-travel-planned-despite-high-fuel-cost.html

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