Could Rising Gas Prices be the end to Family Vacations?
With gas prices nearly hitting $4 a gallon, or in some cities such as Atlanta, Georgia, having
already surpassed that amount, the use of larger vehicles including SUV’s and Van’s are diminishing immensely. So what does this mean for people who depend on a larger vehicle to house their large families? It may mean the end of family vacations, as we know it.
My mother who lives in Syracuse, NY where gas prices are at a hefty $4.19 a gallon called me the other day to explain that her family of 4 won’t be taking any family vacations this summer to a tropical beach. Why you ask? Simply because my parents drive a 7 passenger van that takes $80 to fill the gas tank, and barely gets 25 miles to the gallon. Now, although getting a smaller car seems like the logical answer, it’s just not feasible. My mother who runs a small daycare business out of her home often has to transport up to 7 children at one time, and with a smaller, more economical car like the Toyota Hybrid Prius, there’s no possible way she can do that.
According to an article on CNN.com, residents of Atlanta, Georgia are willing to ignore the higher gas prices and pay up to $100 a tank simply because they need the extra vehicle room. Sales for larger automotives such as the SUV and the pick-up truck were down by 33% this year according to Peter Brown, the executive director of the publication Automotive News. And although this trend seems to be pointing to the extinction of the SUV, residents refuse to let that happen. For families that have 3 or 4 children, a larger vehicle is essential to their safety and their functionality. Mark Antley, a 47-year-old resident of Sharpsburg, Georgia says:
Gas prices eventually will level off and families will adjust their budgets accordingly. SUV’s will either become luxuries for those who can afford the gas or necessities for those who need what SUVs have to offer.
And he’s right. But unfortunately, that means no more family vacations to Disneyworld until gas prices level out, which is too bad. I guess Mickey Mouse will have to wait.
For more information about car rental in Atlanta, contact Triangle Rent a Car today!
Take a look at GasBankUSA. The site talks about fixed price gasoline.
I don’t think that we are at the end of the Family vacation era… people will find alternatives.
I am in the SUV boat with some of the people that you reference. What I have run into is that my 2001 SUV is worth about 1/2 of what it was worth 1 year ago, so I cna drive in comfort, and pay the gas OR I can get a smaller vehicle, and pay by getting virtually nothing form my SUV!
[...] have a job. That being said, increasing numbers of people are choosing to stay home, opting for “staycations” versus vacations. But with more people working longer hours, vacations are becoming more obscure, [...]
And yet it still rises! Where will it all end?