Recession Travel: How The Economy Will Affect Summer Vacations (VIDEO)

Recession Travel: How The Economy Will Affect Summer Vacations (VIDEO)

The "Today" show (which recently canceled Matt Lauer's globe-trotting series due to the recession) featured a segment Friday morning on traveling during the downturn.

Tom Costello reports that AAA expects 32 million Americans will travel this weekend, most of them by car, with gas prices down relative to last year (though still on the rise of late). How does the recession alter Memorial Day travel plans? More Americans will travel — lured by bargains, he says — but they will travel shorter distances than they usually do. AAA predicts:

  • On average, Americans will travel 620 miles this weekend (20 miles fewer than last year)
  • Americans will spend $1,052
  • Gas averages $2.36/gallon (down from $3.80/gallon last year)
  • AAA 3-diamond hotels average $142/night (down from $161/night last year)

AAA also predicts that many Americans will be forgoing summer vacations altogether, meaning "great bargains" for those who do travel.

"There has never been a better time to travel," Frommer's Pauline Frommer says. "Prices are down, crowds are nonexistent at many destinations, it's really an extraordinary time to travel."

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