Summer Travel Gas-Saving Tips

Forbes - Jacqueline Mitchell
The summer travel season officially kicked off on the May long weekend. Not long after, gas topped $4 a gallon in some U.S. cities and $1.30/litre in Canada, but many travelers have not canceled their road trips.



In a poll conducted in April by the Travel Industry Association (TIA) and Ypartnership, 59% of motorists who are planning a trip by car, truck or SUV this summer responded that "they will not change their travel plans, even with additional increases in the price of gas." But they won't wind up spending the entire vacation budget on fuel if they follow a few simple tips.



In Depth: How To Save On Gas This Summer




The Simple Things



Saving on gas involves, in some cases, the normal car-care tasks, such as keeping your tires properly inflated and staying on top of routine maintenance, such as replacing clogged air filters. Both will save on gas by as much as 10% at home and on the road, according to the Car Care Council, an organization that promotes the benefits of regular maintenance.



Perhaps one of the most overlooked means for conserving gas is to watch your speed while driving. Fuel efficiency diminishes rapidly above 100 km/h. Drivers can assume that each 8 km/h they drive above 100 km/h is akin to paying an additional 20 cents per gallon of gas(20 cents per every 3 litres), according to the U.S. Department of Energy.



"People really need to think about vehicle speed and fuel efficiency," says Ron Cogan, editor and publisher of Green Car Journal at http://www.greencar.com/, which tracks automotive environmental technology and trends. "You are trading cash for time. You may get there quicker, but it will cost you in gas."



An even better alternative is to park the car and walk or ride a bike when you have the opportunity, says Erin Huffstetler, a writer for the Frugal Living channel on About.com, where she provides money-saving tips. "You can see a city in a different and much more intimate way. It's an easy and fun way to enjoy your vacation," she says.



Planning Ahead



Other gas-saving strategies require some advance planning and organization, but are just as simple. Using an in-car navigational system or the Internet to map out routes, identifying cost-saving local transportation options and making smart lodging choices closer to attractions can all help keep your gas consumption from getting out of control.



Of course, the easiest way to save gas on summer vacation is to pick a destination closer to home. Forty-one percent of the respondents in the TIA-Ypartnership survey said they would make changes to their travel plans if gas prices continued to rise; they said they'd drive a shorter distance, spend less on souvenirs, meals and entertainment or shorten the trip altogether.



Part of that planning even extends to how you pack. Ed Hewitt, features editor at IndependentTraveler.com, says that motorists can benefit by "dropping the weight." Piling scuba toys, beach gear and an extra month's worth of clothing on roof-top luggage racks and then cramming other non-essentials in the trunk makes the vehicle work harder, gobbling up fuel at a rate of 1% to 2% for each additional 45 kilograms.



If none of these sound like good options, the car you choose to take your trip in could be. If you own a gas-guzzling SUV, you may substantially reduce the cost of travel by renting a more fuel-efficient car for the trip instead. A lot depends on the distance of the trip and what car-rental options are available, so you have to do a lot of homework.



But it may pay off. If you drive a car like a Chevrolet Trailblazer, which gets an Environmental Protection Agency estimated combined average of 14.7 L/100km, and you are planning to travel more than 1,600 km, say round trip, do the math.



"If the goal is to save money, then some number crunching is required," says Cogan. "You really have to plan ahead to save money and gas."



In Depth: How To Save On Gas This Summer