PENNSYLVANIA, USA — Editor's note: The above video is from Nov. 11.
As gas prices continue to rise, fewer Americans are planning to hit the road this year for Thanksgiving, according to GasBuddy, a fuel savings platform that tracks gas prices nationwide.
A recent GasBuddy survey found that only 32% of Americans are planning to travel for Thanksgiving this year, a decline from 35% last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic kept many Americans at home.
In 2019, 65% of Americans said they planned to travel for Thanksgiving, GasBuddy said.
The national average price of gasoline is projected to decline to $3.35 per gallon on Thanksgiving Day, but that's still among the highest prices seen in over seven years, GasBuddy said.
But there remains a remote chance that should oil suddenly surge, gas prices could quickly follow and potentially beat 2012’s record for most expensive national average ever for the date: $3.44 per gallon, also according to the study.
“Similarly to last year, motorists are contending with a rise in COVID cases ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday when many drive to celebrate with friends and family," Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy said. "Only this year, we’re also just cents away from the highest Thanksgiving gas prices ever recorded. With global oil demand surging this year as the pandemic has eased, we find ourselves in unfamiliar territory: some of the highest Thanksgiving gas prices on record. Americans are responding to the prices by slamming the car door shut and staying off the road.”
Seventy-five percent of Americans also say that COVID-19 has had no impact on their holiday plans this year, up substantially from last year’s 46%. Yet, even less are traveling this year than in 2020.
Fifty percent of Americans say they are driving less overall this year, and when asked what it would take for them to drive more, an overwhelming 78% said lower gas prices.
Those who are traveling are opting for shorter trips, with most (13%) expecting to spend 1 to 3 hours in the car. When it comes to making a rest stop, decent gas prices remained of most importance to those selecting, though location and convenience rose above the rest stop’s cleanliness in 2021’s results.
GasBuddy offers these travel tips for those who are traveling for Thanksgiving:
- Use the GasBuddy app to watch for price differences between state lines. Gas prices can vary as much as $20 per tank in some areas of the country between state lines.
- Use a gas discount card like Pay with GasBuddy to lower your gas bill by as much as 25 cents per gallon.
According to this year’s survey, 67% of Americans will be using a gas card or gas loyalty program when they fill up.