CHESAPEAKE, Va. — Memorial Day weekend is here, and for the roughly 40 million Americans hitting the road, higher gas prices are a major factor in how — and whether — they travel.
Lawrence Benson is making the drive from Manassas, Virginia to the Outer Banks this weekend. He stopped in Chesapeake to fill up on gas, and he said he built the cost of gas into his vacation budget before hitting the road.
"Say probably about 120 to 140 dollars. It's definitely beating ya up especially because I got a trailer on the back. I wish it was a lot lower," Benson said.
Benson's fuel costs are higher because he is towing an RV, but he said traveling with it helps offset the expense by eliminating hotel stays.
"That's the beautiful thing is that with this RV, it's cheaper for us instead of staying at a hotel, but you know, it's a give and take. With gas prices high, it kind of balances itself out," Benson said.
For some Chesapeake residents, high gas prices meant staying closer to home. Gary Pyle said the cost at the pump played a direct role in his decision to remain in Hampton Roads this weekend instead of visiting family.
"Well we had thought about seeing my folks in the Philly area, but you know, that'll be another day. We're retired and we have to budget for everything now, so that absolutely came into the equation," Pyle said.
According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of regular gas is $4.56 — up 3 cents from last week and $1.38 higher than this time last year.
Pyle said he hopes prices will stop climbing, but he is not optimistic.
"I hope there's some resolution to what's going on in the Middle East, but I don't have any confidence in that happening," Pyle said.
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