This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2008, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
More than 355,000 Utahns are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home on Memorial Day weekend, a slight 0.1 percent decrease from last year, travel services agency AAA reported.
Although small, the decrease is the first for Memorial weekend holiday travel since 2002, said Rolayne Fairclough, AAA spokeswoman.
The culprit, of course, is higher gasoline prices. On Tuesday, the average price of a gallon of regular-grade unleaded gasoline in Utah hit yet another record, at $3.70 per gallon. Diesel fuel also hit an all-time high of $4.56.
Nationally, the average cost for a gallon of regular unleaded hit a record $3.80 per gallon, while diesel hit a record $4.54.
Day after day, record highs have become the norm in recent weeks, much to the horror of consumers who are paying more than ever to fill up their tanks.
As a result, over Memorial Day "many families will travel closer to home, stay with relatives or friends, eat at cheaper restaurants and travel fewer days in order to save money," Fairclough said.
Of the 355,000 who will travel, an estimated 283,000 will drive to their destinations, AAA said. About 51,000 will fly, with the balance traveling by some other mode of transportation - bus, train or boat.
Which way are gas prices headed? For the time being, there seems to be little relief in sight for consumers as oil prices head toward $130 per barrel.
''I keep making projections, and they keep turning out to be too low, especially in the crude market,'' Darin Newsom, senior analyst at market analysis provider DTN, told The Associated Press. ''We're already pushing up against $130. If we clear that, there's no reason to believe crude oil can't get to $140.''