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Gas prices for the cheapest unleaded are now closer to $2 a gallon. It's over in a few places but not many.
It's still inexpensive, even for road trips. My car can get 35mpg on highways, so even an entire dollar added to the price of a gallon of gas would only cost me $57 on a 2000 mile road trip. That's pocket change.
I haven't flown for awhile so I haven't checked out any airfares but I have a friend who is a mechanic for American Airlines. They are cutting flights dramatically as flying is down due to increased ticket prices. Remember that planes use gas (jet fuel) too and their prices reflect any increases in the cost of this fuel. It may not be much cheaper.
FWIW, if you have the time, even if it costs a bit more when you add in food and lodging, a roadtrip is far more exciting than a plane trip, IMHO.
Yeah... but try it with a Ford Explorer (hand-me-down from the parents, NOT my choice) that gets 20 mpg on highways!
Its only $6.50 a gallon for unleaded here in Lancashire, UK. I do about 15,000 miles per year at about 27mpg which works out at about $3600 for fuel, how does this compare with average US costs?
I can't wait to pay US prices on my road trip, but I remember paying under a dollar per gallon in the early 90's.
p.s. with reference to an earlier reply about compact Europe and mass transit systems, I live in a small town in the middle of a lot of countryside (lots of sheep, few people)and a car is essential if you want to get anywhere.
Just out of curiousity, I plugged into MS Streets & Trips a route from Bellingham, WA, to San Diego, CA, via I-5. It is a distance of 1349 miles.
In my car which averages 31 mpg on the highway, gas at $2.50 per gallon would cost me a total of $110.00 for the one-way trip. Gas in your Explorer figured at 20 mpg would cost $168.00
Only $58.00 difference for a great roadtrip. I realize that it's never fun to spend more and that $58 more in gas might mean the loss of a nice dinner out. But I would contend that if $58 extra dollars makes or breaks whether or not you go on that trip, then you probably can't afford the trip anyway. Just IMHO, of course.
What I'm really trying to say is that the pleasure of the roadtrip outweighs the little extra cost. Again, IMHO.
FWIW, if I figure the same 20 mpg average at $2.00 per gallon, the trip would cost you $135.00. That's only a $33 savings. At $1.50 per gallon, the trip would cost you $102.00 in fuel. So, even if gas prices dropped significantly, the savings isn't really as much as you would think. It adds up but shouldn't make or break a trip.
Happy roadtrippin'!
In Quebec, depending on the area, between 80.9 and 88.9 cents/Liter (CAN$)
yuk!
Editor's Note: (I think)
One Liter = 0.26 US Gallons
$1 CN = $0.74 US Dollars
Orlando area is averaging $1.73 for regular unleaded. Looks like we are the best in the forum with the exception of Georgia. Everybody here says you can save a dime a gallon north of the FL/GA line. So if you are coming down 95, gas up in GA.
I live in Indiana (Indianapolis, specifically), although I don't check the boards here all that frequently. Seems like we've been running around $1.80/gallon for regular recently.
Also, since no one in this thread has mentioned it yet, http://www.gaspricewatch.com/
We really like Indy -- many good roadtrippin' friends in the Indianapolis area. I think Sinclairs has changed its name, but have you ever eaten <a href = "http://www.roadtripamerica.com/eats/sinclair.htm">there</a>?
Thanks for the fuel report!
Mark
I've driven by it, but never stopped in there. I'm a fan of Chicago-style pizza myself, and for my money the best Chicago-style pizza in Indianapolis is at Union Jack's Pub (two locations, one in Broad Ripple, and one on the west side).
And yes, it does seem a bit strange that you can get great Chicago-style pizza at a place which markets itself as an English-type pub. That's one of those things I try not to think too hard about, but just accept.