Blog Update!
For those of you not following me on Facebook, as of the Summer of 2019 I've moved to Central WA, to a tiny mountain town of less than 1,000 people.

I will be covering my exploits here in the Cascades, as I try to further reduce my impact on the environment. With the same attitude, just at a higher altitude!

Sunday, June 22, 2008

Vacation from oil

All aboard!How has the increased gas prices affected your summer vacation plans? Since petroleum prices are up, the airline industry is hurting and people are rethinking those long drives.

What used to be an inexpensive road trip is now costing an arm and a leg. I keep seeing tons of articles about vacationing close to home to help save on costs. The Onion had some great alternatives for your vacation:

  • Maybe trying that Mexican-looking place over on Butterfield Road
  • Rediscovering the attic
  • Foregoing tour of Ireland in favor of an afternoon at O'Shaughnessy's
  • Packing the station wagon, piling into the station wagon, sitting in the station wagon, getting out of the station wagon
  • Family bath
  • Staring uncomfortably at one another closer to home

  • 38 comments:

    Robj98168 said...

    no air trips for me this year- VEGAS IS GONNA HAVE TO DO WITHOUT ME :( tHIS YEAR I GET TO GO TO WENATCHEE (didn't mean to yell) to attend a car show, then on down to HooD River Oregon to attend a wedding. Maybe hit one of the tribal casinos.Mr. Newton is gonna have to sing danke schoen without me!

    Robin said...

    We will be doing a lot of camping this year to offset the cost of getting there!

    Syamsul Arif Galib said...

    Hey, I am arief from Indonesia. I am so proud of you. you are a motivated and creative women. Good luck in your life ;)

    Anonymous said...

    I love Vegas, but anyway, I wanted to go to Japan this summer. I thought I'd finally saved up enough to do it. When I looked up ticket and hotel prices on line, Japan fell completely out of consideration.

    I usually take a bus and train to work, but I recently started considering buying a bike. One of the ones that can fold in half when you're finished with it.

    Anonymous said...

    we've cancelled our road trip to see my parents (12 hours) as well as our flying trip to see the inl-laws (ny to vancouver). Hopefully, we'll save up enough pennies for trips to see them next year. My kids have lots of cousins they've never met.

    Still going to my brother's wedding in Denver, though. Have to find something to craft for his gift, though. We've spent $1600 in flights and hotel (and we'll spend $$ on food) for a Saturday-Monday trip. Sigh.

    Anonymous said...

    My husband and I were going to go to Maine for our 4th anniversary next week. His parents have a house there. However, it's an 8 hour trip, my 11-year-old car won't make it and his diesel pickup is out of the question. So we're staying home.

    Anonymous said...

    We are not going anywhere this year. We usually travel w/in a two hour radius from our house. We live in Southern Cal, so we usually go to Big Bear, San Diego or Santa Barbara, all wonderful places semi-close to home! We also like to take the Amtrak to San Diego. I am going to learn how to take the bus to the beach this summer. I just want to stay home and garden and try to save money, in case TSHTF.

    Anonymous said...

    We're doing a lot of local biking to make up for any long trips, of which we don't have many planned. We are also camping to save $ and get our kid(s) used to cheap fun! I started a 100 mile bike blog - hope to put on 100 miles or more over the summer. I've been bugging all my friends who drive the 4 blocks to the store and some are starting to join me in my bike trips =) Nice to see/hear that my incessant talk of biking is making others feel self-conscious of their own choices!

    William Wren said...

    we shouldnt mourne the end of the car age it was much more fustrating navigating jams and incompitent drivers,

    Oldnovice said...

    You missed the 'I'm taking the train instead of flying' option.

    I try to visit my 'midwest' kids quarterly, but won't be flying this year and might just make ONE train ride. Just today, I talked to them about setting up instant video messaging.

    Anonymous said...

    We had some wonderful plans this summer...good thing we made no reservations! We will be camping as always, but not with the RV we are trying to sell! One of our ways of becoming a green family is to rid ourselves of the gas guzzling RV and get back to nature!

    TheNormalMiddle said...

    We make a point to take one "nice" vacation a year if we can afford the time off work and in our budget to do so.

    This year's plan was to take our 3 to Disney (yes, I know, consumerism at its worst) because our 3 are finally all old enough to walk on their own, outgrown naps, etc.

    But with gas prices and Disney's hike in prices we decided to forgo the trip and instead take a 2 day trip to a amusement park about 1 hour from us. We are springing for a hotel for one night so it feels more like a vacation....and hopefully we'll all have a blast.

    I wish I could tell you we're making the switch because we want to be more environmentally minded, but alas, this decision has much more to do with money. (but hey, I quit using paper towels this week and I figure that is a really good eco-friendly thing to do!)

    Chris said...
    This comment has been removed by the author.
    Chris said...

    I've canceled almost any road trip plans I've had due to the gas prices. It's really unfortunate since I just bought a newer car too :(. I'll probably be staying within a certain radius of NJ though, I suppose, so all hope is not lost.

    I really like your blog, btw!

    -Chris

    Adrienne said...

    I already barely drive, and luckily bought a plane ticket before the prices and fees started going crazy, so I'm going on vacation next week. But I suspect this will be the last plane trip I take for a very long time, possibly ever.

    katecontinued said...

    What is this thing you call vacation?

    I live in paradise (along Pacific coast) no need to travel. I also don't have any money for travel.

    camp mom said...

    We use to do alot of camping with our tent camper-husband has medical issues so we had to give up tent camping...so we cancelled our plans for camping. It cost a small fortune to haul it to the campgrounds. We will set our camper up in our massive yard and property and use marine batteries for running his medical equipment at site farther from house. We cleared a couple small areas to set it up in and we've been out in the cmaper several times already. My daughter and I still plan to go outon our yearly camping trip only we'll be tenting and using our car to go. And instead of going where we normally do we'll stick closer to home.

    Mostly we are just hanging closer to home and trying to have fun in our area. We've been carpooling to movie and music in the park nights. Two different evenings both free to public.

    We've planned a 4th party at our place for a few folks in our immediate neighborhood. It'll be a potluck. We have the basketball hoop set up others are bringing volleyball net. So it'll be a fun first for us all. Another neighborhood gathering is planned for August at a different house.

    Anonymous said...

    This is my first comment and I'll be anonymous because, well.. you'll see!

    I booked my plane tickets in April so I will be travelling to the States this year (I'm in the UK) - so the flights are:

    Dublin-LA
    LA-Denver
    Denver-Portland
    Portland-LA
    LA-Dublin

    As well as going to the Czech Republic to teach English (two flights)

    Oh, and I live in Northern Ireland and go to uni on the mainland of the UK and the only way to get forward and back each term is plane (either one hour plane or 200 miles on a train and an 8 hour ferry - I'm unconvinced that's better!).

    All in all... From September 18th 2007 to September 18th 2008 I'll have done 18 flights... (although 11 would be those little one hour $40 flights...)

    R

    Anonymous said...

    Yeah I know the feeling. Me and some friends wanted to do a road trip to Canada for a week but with gas prices there is no way. We also wanted to rent out an RV to do it but there really no way those things as like gold diggers taking all of cash for the gas.

    Alyclepal said...

    We go for a two week Medieval Reenactment. It's a 10 hr drive. Instead of taking the truck and trailer loaded to the gills we are getting help to transport our yurt, packing less clothing, making "nomad" stuff that is light to use, and driving a Nissan Altima. Oh, and staying put once we get there. Ironically it won't be any more expensive to go and stay then my dh's commuting costs over the two weeks.

    Giii said...

    Am loving ur blog!
    will make sure I'll keep up.

    be good

    Anonymous said...

    I live on a very nice Island in the middle of the Antilles Archipelago in the Caribbean that has 100 isolated and abandoned beaches of extremely high caliber.
    My brother who lives in Midtown Manhattan told me when we were walking around Sixth Avenue in February of 2006 {freezing} that his vacation concept was that he went on vacation every day, for at least an hour, two hours if he could spare the time.
    I offer that suggestion to all.

    Anonymous said...

    we couldnt afford to have holidays much anyway - mainly camping - with petrol prices the way they are this has been curtailed too. last year we went on a long roadtrip to visit family (2000km eachway)and have come to realisation that was the last time we will be doing it. Also realised that we will not be travelling overseas ...unless something miraculous happens (electric planes with a long extension lead??). we have one car and are trying to halve use of it from last year - we are even thinking about the little trips now -no more popping down to the shops for a browse (cant afford to spend anyway). i would hate to be a tourist operator.

    jewishfarmer said...

    With a bunch of small kids, vacations really aren't. So we go and visit the only people who want four kids under 8 (plus their parents) to come visit them - the grandparents. All are accessible by train or Greyhound, although we're going to drive to my Mom's since we're hauling chickens for my sister, and people don't usually want you to take a cage full of chickens on the bus.

    Sharon

    Anonymous said...

    Sharon: We convey our chickens on public transport in sacks or airholed special luggage, hand carried. We do it on ferries, planes and vans and buses. No one seems to mind, even about the crowing.
    Try it.
    Mind you, in PR, most of those birds are gallos de pelea, but not always.

    High Power Rocketry said...

    : )

    chumly said...

    My friends and I used to take long trips on our motorcycles every weekend. Now we only go about twice a month and our group has gotten smaller.

    Mr. Blue said...

    I agree gas prices are increasing. It has affected me by the aspect of car pooling. I am doing that more now than I ever had.

    Theresa said...

    I just checked and it is now about the same cost to fly from Edmonton to Vancouver as it is to take the Via Train. Flying used to be way cheaper. They're both too expensive for me though, so I'm staying put. Fortunately, I quite like where I am.

    Anonymous said...

    I have an idea to add to the cheap-vacation list: roast marshmallows on your stove-top and tell ghost stories.

    Anonymous said...

    We bought a wading pool at Kmart for the small fry (4 and under) and have dusted off the lawn chairs for the adults. Our two biggest vacation plans are : vacation Bible school (rainforest theme this year) and working on the yard. The small fry do go on trips to the zoo with their grandparents every couple of months to add spice to the summer.
    Any money, we would have spent on a vacation will be spent on a new roof.

    --Ave

    Anonymous said...

    No vacations for me at all this year, in fact, gas prices forced us to stay home instead of attending my grandmother's funeral. I think that's going to be more and more the case as prices continue to increase.

    Anonymous said...

    We will be camping (something we like to do anyway) but may have a few excursions in our yard instead of driving to the area parks. Wanted to take DD to the ocean sometime this year but I doubt that will happen - trying to drive as little as possible (green and money).

    I was hoping our families could visit over the 4th (DD turns 3 that week) but I don't think they will make the 8 or 9 hour drive since gas is SO high!

    She-Ra said...

    I am still driving this year though DH was telling me that Amtrak has a monthly pass similar to the eurail pass. I'm definitely considering it for a future trip but this summer I need my car. Three kids on a road trip and only one adult. The car is my sanity saver.

    Next time though - the kids will be older (read Stronger!) and hubby will be there to help corral and navigate. I'm all about the train then.

    Arif Mamdani said...

    bicycle camping. seriously. try it, you'll like it.

    Anonymous said...

    We're leaving for Yellowstone NP in a few days (for my husbands work.) Our nephew will be driving up with us for his first trip into the park. Then in a month we head to "blank-e-dee-blank" for an annual backpacking trip with friends. We'll drive there as well, hopefully in one car. We'll camp near a beautiful stream, dayhike up to various 10,000+ ft. mountain passes and cool our "Chateau Nalgene" wine in snowfields. One-pot meals will be out on breakfast rock and i'm sure there will be scrabble, birding, botanizing and lots of great conversation under crystal clear skies. I would have a hard time giving up this rejuvenating trip into nature. We rarely see anyone camped within miles of us.

    diana

    Jenn said...

    I live within driving distance of Yosemite and so many other wonderful places.

    I haven't planned anything for this summer and am actually planning to sell my 2004 Honda Civic 4-DR Sedan - it gets about 30-35 MPG, but that's not enough.

    I need to sell it before people wise up about peak oil and nobody will buy it. :)

    Anonymous said...

    We just wanted to do lots of camping this year and that is what we are doing. We're also taking a road trip up North for a family reunion type campout (eight hour drive). These trips will cost us in gas, for sure. But we don't use that much gas in the first place and it's within the budget.