Summer travel season starts Monday, but lots of Americans say they won't be traveling much in the coming months. My family and I usually take a big week-long vacation in the summer, but not this year. We are going to take a couple of long weekend trips but both of them will be in Florida, where we live. No airfare involved.
It turns out, we are hardly alone.
A USA Today/Gallup Poll found that Americans will stay much closer to home this summer:
"The 50 percent of respondents who say they won't travel much this summer is up from 40 percent a year earlier when gas prices were at or near record highs, according to the poll of 984 adults this week.
"A shift from costly, exotic getaways reflects a renewed focus on family and friends, some travel experts say. Visits to state parks are up, and sales of fishing equipment and backyard playground equipment are soaring."
Gallup said:
"As might be expected, the poor economy is having its greatest impact on lower-income Americans. There seems to be a tipping point at $60,000 annual household income, with those at or above that limit more likely to say they will go ahead with their plans unaltered than change them, and the reverse true for those below that income level."
And still, most people are not canceling vacations outright. Gallup's Web site provides some helpful charts, including
one that shows how the recession is changing summer recreation plans.
