Americans Still Traveling Despite High Prices

May 18, 2006 — -- Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start of summer, as well as a good indicator for travel habits. Despite the high gas prices and higher vacation prices, 37 million Americans will travel this Memorial Day weekend, which is 1 million more than last year, according to AAA.

Right now, a gallon of gas costs an average of $2.93, up 75 cents from last year. And plane tickets are up 10 percent as airlines make up for soaring jet fuel costs. Once you get to your destination, that's going to cost more, too.

"You're probably going to pay $5 a day more for your hotel room and $6 a day [more] for your rental car," said Amy Ziff, editor at large at Travelocity.com.

But Americans are still traveling.

"People may alter their trips by traveling closer to home, maybe taking fewer trips or also staying with family or friends," said Mantill Williams, AAA spokesman.

But what about a family who wants to take the exact same vacation it took last year?

"Your family is no different than anyone else out there," Ziff said. "You're going to compute the difference and, unfortunately, you're going to see it's going to cost more."

"Good Morning America" did the math to find out how much more one family's vacation from Syracuse, N.Y., to Chatham, Mass., in beautiful Cape Cod. It's 411 miles from Syracuse to Chatham, so at 16 miles per gallon, it will cost $152.36 for gas -- $40 more than last year. The family will rent the same cottage as last year, but this year it will cost $1,006.98, instead of last year's price of $942 -- $65 more. This family will be spending $105 more on vacation this year.

How to Save Money on Vacation

The travel experts gave these tips on how to save money when planning your vacation this summer.

You'll pay less if you forgo the ocean view and walk to the beach.

If you're flying to your destination, travel midweek to midweek so you can avoid the weekend premium prices.

With the smaller hotels and lodging, you can still negotiate. Give them a call and try talking the prices down.

Look for package deals that include transportation and lodging.

ABC's David Muir reported this piece for "Good Morning America."