PENNSYLVANIA, USA — After two years of battling COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, Americans are ready to hit the road.
“They’re tired of being cooped up, they’re tired of not being able to go places,” said Marenda Davi of Sundance Vacations.
But this summer there’s new concerns.
A study commissioned by the American Hotel and Lodging Association shows gas prices and inflation are now the top issues impacting travel plans, rather than COVID-19 case rates.
"People are paying really close attention to those gas prices right now," said Doni Lee Spiegel, public relations manager at AAA Central Penn. "We’re paying $1.86 more than we were this time last year.”
According to AAA, record-high gas prices are causing people to change their daily driving habits.
But when it comes to summer road trips, travelers are ready to pay up.
"We’re actually seeing more people choose not to fly and to drive to the places," said Davi.
“People have a lot of pent up stress and frustration due to gas prices but it’s not stopping them from going out and seeing friends and family and making memories this summer," said Spiegel.
However, AAA says many families are trying to cut costs by making those memories closer to home.
“The great thing about Central Pennsylvania is that we have a ton of places pretty close by for people just to get away for a long weekend," said Spiegel. "We have our AAA-approved properties, there’s lots of Five Diamond properties and Four Diamond properties right in our backyard like Hotel Hershey and the Inn at Leola and Lancaster."