Cancel Trip due to cost of gas

[elaine]

Driving from NC to FL to take my Mom to see her SIL she hasn’t seen in a year. Still going. Cost of gas $$$—taking Mom on a road trip, priceless.

 

[Blues]

The cheapest regular gas here in Toronto right now is about $2.05 CAD per litre, which translates to about $7.80 CAD per US gallon. That works out to about $6.23 USD per US gallon at current exchange rates. No need to cry for us, but count your blessings! It's even worse for most Europeans.

And you should count your blessings, too, CanuckTravlr! That $6.23 USD per gallon is cheap compared to California prices!

I'm surprised your gas is so cheap, considering that, historically, Canada was much higher than the US.

 

[NiteMaire]

That is probably at least a 20 minute wait for at most a $0.20 savings on gas. If you think about it, for a 15 gallon tank, that is only a $3 savings.

Jeremy, plan ahead, and buy your gas at Costco. It's the cheapest gas around.

After you wait in the half hour line!

Then pay the extra few dollars elsewhere and get away faster. It's not rocket science - you're on vacation. Is that extra few minutes really going to make that much difference in your day? There is a reason there is a line.

I felt like I was watching a tennis match! Seriously though, 2 comments:
1) I try to buy from Costco and/or Sam's as often as I can since it's less expensive. I'll only do it in conjunction with a trip to one of them or if I happen to be in the area. If not, I'll put several gallons at the nearest gas station, and fill up on my next trip to Costco/Sam's; however, if there's a long line, I'm paying more at a nearby gas station with no wait. I don't go out of my way to go there just to fill up since I'll spend more in gas getting there/going home than the savings.
2) In 2018, we took a 13-day trip to the Big Island. Gas at Costco was nearly $0.90 (yes, $0.90) cheaper than anywhere else on island. We drove a ton of miles that trip, and filled up multiple times there when we were in the area. Our savings on that trip alone nearly paid for the cost of our membership for the entire year...

 

[DaveNV]

I felt like I was watching a tennis match! Seriously though, 2 comments:
1) I try to buy from Costco and/or Sam's as often as I can since it's less expensive. I'll only do it in conjunction with a trip to one of them or if I happen to be in the area. If not, I'll put several gallons at the nearest gas station, and fill up on my next trip to Costco/Sam's; however, if there's a long line, I'm paying more at a nearby gas station with no wait. I don't go out of my way to go there just to fill up since I'll spend more in gas getting there/going home than the savings.
2) In 2018, we took a 13-day trip to the Big Island. Gas at Costco was nearly $0.90 (yes, $0.90) cheaper than anywhere else on island. We drove a ton of miles that trip, and filled up multiple times there when we were in the area. Our savings on that trip alone nearly paid for the cost of our membership for the entire year...

I chuckled at the tennis match comment. It wasn't that, it was just that I don't see it as that big of a big deal. If the line is too long, and the savings too low, buy elsewhere. I think gas prices in Arizona, Nevada, and California are likely higher than in Florida, so the savings may be greater than 20 cents a gallon out here. But if it's only 20 cents, then definitely go where there is no line. But if it's approaching a dollar a gallon cheaper, maybe the wait will be worth the trouble. It would be for me. Maybe.

Dave

 

[jabberwocky]

I don’t find the savings all that great on regular gas at Costco. With a discount card I get the same price at a PetroCanada station nearby.

Where I do find savings is on the premium gas for our SUV. That usually runs savings of around $.75/gallon (USD equivalent). With a 24 gallon tank it’s worth waiting in line.

 

[PcflEZFlng]

The cheapest regular gas here in Toronto right now is about $2.05 CAD per litre, which translates to about $7.80 CAD per US gallon. That works out to about $6.23 USD per US gallon at current exchange rates. No need to cry for us, but count your blessings! It's even worse for most Europeans.

I paid $6 per gallon at the local Valero a few days ago, therefore pretty close to what you're paying. I'm not crying, you're crying!

We have a road trip planned later this summer from San Diego to Indianapolis and back. That's a lot of miles. But it's a major vacation we planned for and budgeted for. We're still going.

 

[moonstone]

We will still go on vacations and since we drive to nearly all of our timeshare stays we will just find other ways to save money. We consider the cost of getting to vacation destinations as part of the trip expenses and budget accordingly. This fall we have reservations for 2+ weeks in Florida which is about 2500 miles round trip and we usually do about another few hundred miles per week sightseeing. We will drive around less and spend more time sitting looking out at the ocean or walking on the beach (Yay!) and probably eat out less as well. We were in Williamsburg VA for 10 days last month and we put about 2000 miles on the car, we were happy to be paying the lower gas prices in the USA. We ate 2 dinners and 4 lunches out during our stay there and I packed lunches for the 2 days we were on the road (1down and 1 back) as well as for a few of our day trips down to Norfolk and surrounding areas.


~Diane

 

[klpca]

Re: Costco gas - the gas station opens much earlier than the store and closes after the store closes. Ours opens at 5:30am M-F and stays open until 9:30. No lines at either end of these times for us. I use Costco gas almost exclusively - mostly because of the 4% rebate using the executive card. Over the course of a year it still isn't a lot of cash, but if I am going to be there anyway, why not? (I just wait in line - and there is always a line - fwiw).

My metric regarding the cost of anything is if it is "life changing money". For me, $5 on a tank of gas isn't life changing money. I'm not happy about it but I am not going to make myself unhappy thinking about it. That is just adding insult to injury.

 

[CanuckTravlr]

I paid $6 per gallon at the local Valero a few days ago, therefore pretty close to what you're paying. I'm not crying, you're crying!

I only "cry" when I have to fill up my Infiniti V8 that requires premium gas! That's anywhere from $2.30 to $2.40 (CAD) per litre (about $6.95 to $7.25 USD per US gallon). But being retired now we aren't driving that much anyway. We just use my wife's Rogue most of the time instead, which only needs regular and gets much better gas mileage.

Despite the record prices, we are fortunate enough to not be personally concerned all that much about the prices. We have choices. I do feel for those having to commute for work right now, especially those who are already struggling to put food on the table with rising food prices, too. That's where my real concern lies.

 

[PcflEZFlng]

I only "cry" when I have to fill up my Infiniti V8 that requires premium gas! That's anywhere from $2.30 to $2.40 (CAD) per litre (about $6.95 to $7.25 USD per US gallon). But being retired now we aren't driving that much anyway. We just use my wife's Rogue most of the time instead, which only needs regular and gets much better gas mileage.

Despite the record prices, we are fortunate enough to not be personally concerned all that much about the prices. We have choices. I do feel for those having to commute for work right now, especially those who are already struggling to put food on the table with rising food prices, too. That's where my real concern lies.

That is true with us, too (retired and no longer commuting). My wife's car, which we'll use for our trip, gets about 32 mpg on the highway, so it's not much of a gas-guzzler.

We are also fortunate enough to have choices. I share your concern for those who have to commute to work now. They have to contend with rapidly-escalating costs for food, fuel, housing, child care, and more.

 

[slip]

That is true with us, too (retired and no longer commuting). My wife's car, which we'll use for our trip, gets about 32 mpg on the highway, so it's not much of a gas-guzzler.

We are also fortunate enough to have choices. I share your concern for those who have to commute to work now. They have to contend with rapidly-escalating costs for food, fuel, housing, child care, and more.

True for me also. I just filled up from a half tank, $49. While I was working, that would have been a big deal because I would be filling up often. Now that we are retired that half tank fill up was for almost a month.

Now, I do live on an island but we are 13 miles from town but with no stop lights and with a 45mph speed limit, it is easy on gas. Our Jeep Compass has been getting 28 to 30 mpg consistently.

 

[VacationForever]

We do alot of driving trips and will keep doing so regardless of gas prices. 2 weeks ago a friend travelled from across the globe to visit us and we drove to Southern Utah to spend a few days there. We were filling up every 3 days. It cost a fraction of the cost of our eating out twice a day. It is all about perspective.

 

[Talent312]

If you think its costly to to do a driving vacation...
We're spending ~$10K on a 3-week trip to Europe (incl. airfare).
Going forward, I think I'll stop whining about nickel+dime stuff.
.

 

[mdurette]

That looks to be about 1800 miles, round trip. I get about 18mpg city/22 hwy. Even at the low end of that, it’s 100 gallons round trip. If gas is an extra $2/gallon it’s an extra $200. Not nothing, but maybe not enough to get me to change my plans.

This was my original thought, how much more would this trip actually cost? Would this actual cost cause me to cancel a trip or would I just find a way to save that money somewhere else on the trip if needed to keep within a budget. I'm pretty sure I could find a way to save $200 on a vacation that I really wanted to go on.

Bless the OP for even considering a drive that long in the first place! I give you credit, I have a max 5 hour tolerance for any drive to place!!

 

[Talent312]

Any drive longer than ~5 hours, and I'm stopping for the night.
There's no reason to kill oneself for a "vacation."

That said, I have done and will do 10 drives from TN to FL.
Stopping in/near Macon just isn't my cup of tea,
.

 

[beejaybee]

Any drive longer than ~5 hours, and I'm stopping for the night.
There's no reason to kill oneself for a "vacation."

Us too, although hotel prices are much higher since pre-covid. Also important to consider on long drive trips is getting out of the car @ every 2 hours and moving about to prevent DVTs.

 

[GetawaysRus]

Us too, although hotel prices are much higher since pre-covid. Also important to consider on long drive trips is getting out of the car @ every 2 hours and moving about to prevent DVTs.

Stopping overnight to break up long drives is one of our uses for those "free" night hotel certificates that we get from having a number of credit cards.

 

[dsmrp]

We're going to drive from Washington state to Oregon, 700 miles RT, plus side trips.
But still cheaper than flying with companion pass too, and renting a car.

 

["Roger"]

This thread got me wondering how much gas now costs in Europe where it has always been more expensive.

Currently a gallon of gas in France costs $8.57.

 

[hajjah]

I'm veering off topic, but here's a Public Service Announcement related to the price of gasoline.

If you shop at Ralphs (and perhaps other Kroger affiliates?), check the bottom of your store receipt. I didn't know this until a store employee pointed it out, but there is frequently an offer at the bottom to participate in an online survey. The survey is quick, and essentially they are asking you for comments about your store. Filling out the survey is worth 50 gas points if you are a Ralphs Rewards customer. (I've got a Ralphs shopping card and have the Ralphs app installed on my phone.)

I did a bit of food shopping yesterday (mostly fresh produce and dairy - that's the stuff we need to stock up on quite frequently), and I then completed the survey. Plus I bring my own shopping bags to the market, so I get additional gas points for bringing bags. I've now got enough Ralphs Reward Points for 20 cents a gallon off on gas when I purchase next.

(I have no personal relationship with Ralphs Markets. I shop there mainly because their produce seems fresher than the other markets in my area and I like the old-fashioned fruit-on-the-bottom Kroger yogurt. For meat, I shop elsewhere. And for fish, it's Costco.)

I'd be interested if someone would start a thread on how to save money on gasoline. There's probably lots of tricks that I don't know.

I concur with rickandcindy23. I'm so glad that I read this post. I'm in the south and Kroger is my local grocery. I've been shopping here now for 14 years and use the Kroger Points all the time. As a matter of fact, I'm getting ready to complete my Kroger survey now for my most recent shopping. You can do a survey every 7 days and get .50 points. I calculate my shopping to be sure I'm within the 7 days. For the month of May, I have 4,300 points! I always use the special 4x the fuel points on gift cards. They have them every month. This is the best bargain instead of spending money at the different stores, I buy the gift card to get points. Three weeks ago we were at the Marriott Newport Coast Villas for 9 nights. I had no idea there was a Ralph's with gas about 9 miles away. With gas in CA being over $5.00, I used 1000 of my Kroger points to get $1.00 per gallon off my bill. So, instead of paying $5.64 a gallon, I paid $4.64. I only did this because the gas in CA was so high. I never use my points while on vacation. I need them at home to buy premium gas. lol As I indicated, the best value is in buying those gift cards when they are 4x for fuel points. When I go to the theater or out to eat, I'm using a gift card. I also give them as gifts for graduations, etc. I buy cards for Amazon, IHOP, Macy's, Regal Cinema, and many others. Oh, also check for the specials with 200 points! When you get those specials during the 4x event, you will get 300 points for a purchase of $25. I have several Starbucks cards now that I got the 300 points and 4x event. This is how you do it to save money on gas. Btw, I use the other Kroger sister stores while in other states as well. I'm only sorry they are not in FL.
Oh, I just completed my survey and got 50 points. I also forgot to mention that I get points for my prescriptions as well.

 

[hjsweet2002]

I am glad that people can afford the gas for their vacations. In our case we are on a very fixed income that barely leaves room for extras. The high cost of gas and inflation esp in food costs have put us in a situation where we need to be more frugal in our spending. We are at a point where we may use Wyndham Certified Exit as maintenance costs are becoming a luxury expense. I am grateful that we are blessed with what we have. We are not envious of others and rejoice in their situation and in our situation also.

 

[easyrider]

We like to drive. Most of our trips to Southern CA and Southern AZ have been driving trips with one night in the middle. Our farthest rode trip was Eastern Ohio. We do many trips to the WA, OR Coast and the mountains near us. These trips are trips where I don't consider gas prices a problem.

Where gas prices have become a consideration are fishing trips with the big boat. I haven't had it in the water for a while now and probably won't this year either with gas prices this high.

Bill

 

[dioxide45]

Gas prices may not make people change already existing plans, but it may have them rethink future ones. It also hits those at the lower end of the income scale the hardest (I doubt most on TUG are in this group). Those people may opt out of visiting family or even vacations over the summer and just stay home.

 

[JudyH]

Still taking Fall road trip to New England. Cheaper than the cruises and trips to Europe we are not taking.

 

[MULTIZ321]

IRS Increases Mileage Rates Because of High Gas Prices

IRS Increases Mileage Rates Because of High Gas Prices

The higher mileage rates, which are used to calculate certain tax deductions for business and other uses of a car, took effect on July 1.

www.kiplinger.com

Richard