Price of Gas Won't Stop Oregon From Hitting the Road

Gas prices average $2.49 across Oregon—about three cents higher than this time last year.

Salem-News.com

(SALEM) - Higher travel related costs will not keep families home this Thanksgiving. AAA estimates that 38.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, a 2.7 percent increase from last year’s 37.3 million travelers. “Airports and highways will be busier than ever,” said AAA Oregon Senior Vice President Beth Van Horn. “Prices for hotel rooms, rental cars and airfare have increased, but that will not keep people from traveling.” Approximately 31.7 million travelers (82.8 percent of all holiday travelers) expect to go by motor vehicle, a 2.6 percent increase from the 30.8 million who drove a year ago. They'll find gasoline prices nationwide averaging $2.23 for a gallon of regular gasoline and $2.49 across Oregon—about three cents higher than this time last year. "Families might have foregone vacations because of high gas prices during the summer, but extended family get-togethers and the current lower gas prices will encourage Americans to get back on the road,” Van Horn said. AAA expects 4.8 million (12.5 percent of holiday travelers) Americans to travel by airplane, up 3.2 percent from the 4.6 million that flew last Thanksgiving holiday. A projected 1.9 million travelers (5 percent) will go by train, bus, or other mode of transportation, up slightly from 1.8 million a year ago. “With new security measures and crowded airports, travelers should allow extra time for check-in and security,” reminds Van Horn. “Travelers should educate themselves on new security restrictions before leaving home to make checking in easier and more efficient.” According to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index. Holiday hotel rates are up16 percent for AAA-Rated Three Diamond hotels; rental car rates have increased an average 21 percent, and air fares are an average 4 percent higher than a year ago. The greatest number of Thanksgiving auto travelers will originate in the Southeast (9.1 million), followed by the West (7.2 million); Midwest (6.7 million); the Great Lakes (6.2 million); and the Northeast (2.4 million). The Southeast and the West are expected to produce the largest number of air travelers with 1.3 million each, followed by the Midwest with 789,000; the Northeast with 772,000; and Great Lakes with 643,000. Hot water heaters will be working overtime, as 69.5 percent of Thanksgiving travelers expect to stay at a friend or relative’s home. Hotels and motels are a distant second at 16 percent, followed by cabin/condo, 4.5 percent; camper/trailer/RV/tent, 2.4 percent; other, 3.6 percent; no overnight stay, 2.6 percent; and didn’t know, 1.4 percent. Small towns and rural areas are the expected destination for 45.3 percent of Thanksgiving travelers, followed by cities, 35 percent. Mountain areas should see 8.3 percent of travelers, followed by oceans and beaches with 5.2 percent of travelers; 2.3 percent for lake areas, 0.6 percent for state/national parks and 0.3 percent for theme/amusement parks. Another 2.0 percent responded with other. Research for Thanksgiving holiday travel is based on a national telephone survey of 1,500 adults by the Travel Industry Association of America, which conducts special research for AAA.