LOWER MACUNGIE TOWNSHIP, Pa. – From the mountains, through the valley and down the shore, people across the region and beyond are celebrating the unofficial start of summer.
‘Tis the season to mark Memorial Day weekend with getaways and vacations.
But first, folks need a plan to get there.
Holiday travel is in full swing and pain at the pumps persists.
As drivers hit the roads for the extended weekend, AAA said Memorial Day gas prices are the highest they have been in four years.
But many people are still willing to pay the price to travel, despite growing frustrations with every tank filled.
“They’re ridiculous,” said Dan Kinney of Elyria, Ohio.
Kinney had to leave his truck with the heated seats, extra leg room and less gas mileage back home.
“We had to bring the little car to get stuff in. Because of the gas mileage, not my truck,” said Kinney.
He’s stopping for a quick break at the PA Turnpike Service Plaza in Lower Macungie Township, Lehigh County, before heading to visit family in Bucks County.
“We can only do less, because [it] just costs too much,” Kinney said.
It’s the first of many summer trips circled on the calendar, but with fingers crossed, depending on which way the numbers shift at the gas stations.
“If it keeps going up, we’re not going to be able to do it,” said Kinney.
“It was a question of ‘are we going to make the trip or not?'” said Tim Citrona of West Deptford, New Jersey.
It’s a road tripper’s worst nightmare.
“The gas prices, it’s bad, it’s really bad,” said Citrona. “Having to pull off and pull back on, stop and go, and stop and go.”
Citrona is hoping to save a few bucks along the way for a trip to Knoebels Amusement Resort.
“It’s a bad situation, you have to make, you have to rough through, and you know, try to squeeze pennies and make the best of it,” Citrona said.
Virginia resident Gayle Alderfer Fisher is preparing to make her “proud aunt” moment this weekend.
“We’re headed up to Scranton to my niece’s college graduation,” said Alderfer Fisher. “[I’m] with my friend who’s over at the pumps right now, so yeah, they’re high.”
But for certain milestones, the prices are worth paying.
“Graduations are, you know, few and far between, and we want to support her for it. So, we were going to be here regardless,” said Alderfer Fisher.
“I’m celebrating my 65th birthday! For this trip, it’s seven states represented,” said Priscilla Mills of Philadelphia. “The gas prices went up like ridiculously, but we’re still here, and we’re going to make it happen,”
From Illinois to Georgia, Virginia, New Jersey, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and more.
“Did I get all the states? Did I hit them all?” asked Mills.
Memorial Day weekend is re-uniting this group.
“It’s a once in a lifetime experience,” Mills said. “These are some of my best friends, and long, I mean, my bridesmaids. All my original bridesmaids are here. My daughter is here.”
It’ll be a long-weekend birthday trip in Bethany, Pennsylvania.
But it’s not a real party, without a party bus or two.
Mills said she booked the rides well before the gas prices spiked.
“But I was going to make it happen either way,” said Mills. “I have a company that’s doing an amazing job for us, and he did not raise the price,” said Mills referring to the driver.
The longtime friends and family joined the hustle and bustle of the Friday morning traffic and made a quick stop to stretch and grab snacks, before hopping back on the road with millions of other drivers.
Nearby, a steady flow of cars pulled in and parked at gas pumps.
“You know, what are you going to do? I’m not gonna just cancel it because the prices are so high,” said Mills.
But Mills said she was determined to navigate a way to make sure this birthday bash reached it’s final destination.
“You got to live, you know, you got to live this life. You can’t just sit back and say, ‘oh, I can’t do this, I can’t do that’,” said Mills. “Now, when I go home and I got to go to work, it’s going to be another story.”
As the prices climb, so does the demand.
GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan said the average tank costs $15 to $30 more every week.
“It’s certainly within the realm of possibility that Memorial Day could actually be the lowest of the summer holidays when it comes to gas prices, that as long as the Strait of Hormuz is closed,” said De Haan.
GasBuddy is a gas price tracker that keeps an eye on 150,000 stations in the U.S. and Canada.
“Gas prices are $1.35 a gallon more than they were last year,” said De Haan. “$5 prices are getting close to record setting territory, and for many Americans, that’s a cost that’s too high to be able to hit the road and enjoy it.”
Analysts said drivers can try to minimize their visits to the pumps by changing their driving habits, slowing down and using apps that track gas prices.