What Do You Worry About When Hitting the Road This Summer?

[xcel]

Gas Prices, traffic and other drivers are the most disconcerting according to a recent study.

Wayne Gerdes - CleanMPG - May 26, 2012

Ford’s upcoming 2013 Fusion Hybrid at 47/44 mpgUS city/highway would remove some of that worry

While many of us plan a weekend or long summer getaway vacation drive, a new Harris Interactive survey commissioned by Ford finds getaways have annoyances.

The survey found that nearly one third of U.S. adults say the cost of gas is the most stressful part of a weekend trip. Other stress factors include dealing with traffic and other drivers on the roads.

Nearly one quarter of those surveyed cite traffic as the most stressful part of getting away, while almost 20 percent say it is other drivers creating the most stress en route to their destination of choice. Eleven percent find packing and unpacking for a trip induces the most stress.

Hitting the Road

Over this long weekend, an estimated 30 million motorists will journey an average of 642 miles – 150 miles less than last year’s average travel distance of 792 miles, according to a AAA survey of travelers’ intentions.

The Harris survey reveals that on average, drivers are willing to travel four hours to a weekend destination, with the younger crowd – those 18 to 34 – willing to drive five hours to get away for a few days.

Weekend travel is more popular than ever, with half of all U.S. adults – nearly 103 million – taking at least one weekend trip per year. According to a 2009 Travel Industry Association report, almost 30 percent of Americans took five or more weekend trips the previous year.

Fortunately gas prices will not bother most here at CleanMPG but traffic and others on the road are always foremost on my mind.

[TheStepChild]

Crazies. I worry about all the crazies

[Jay]

I recently finished a loonnnggg road trip vacation--6 days of driving. Most of it was on very sparsely traveled highways in NV, ID, and CA. My biggest fear was something going wrong with my aging Acura RSX. At 10 yrs old and 140,000mi the car is still reliable, but I should get something newer. Nobody makes exactly the car I want, though.

[08EscapeHybrid]

I drive nearly 1,000 miles when I travel out of town. When I go, I usually bring a lot of gear with me, so I usually take the 98 GMC K1500. Its comfortable, and although it doesn't win any beauty contests, it runs well and I can usually beat the EPA combined rating by a good margin. The cost of gas on a trip does not cause me worry as before I leave I plan my fuel stops based on fuel prices I find on the internet. I stay with family, so since I'm not paying for a hotel, the trip is pretty cheap overall.

[seftonm]

Packing is my biggest concern by far. A weekend trip for me usually involves taking bigger items like tents, bicycles, wakeboards, or snowboards. Once that's figured out, everything else usually goes smoothly with minimal stops for fuel

[waltermlee]

When I go on a long distance (+400 mile in one direction) roadtrip - anything that I can charge on my credit card is okay including gas. However, toll roads are a concern - since I needed to have enough cash on hand. With respect to road conditions, on my last roadtrip, traffic was not a problem per se but driving around road construction was sometimes stressful. I found the GPS unit to be really handy for telling me my location but I found that I can do a better job manually planning my routes instead of letting the computer do it. My Prius naturally gets very good fuel efficiency so the price of gas is less a factor than maybe other less fuel efficient vehicles -- however, I am still dogged that I could get even better fuel efficiency on the superhighway with the Prius if I was a better hypermiler.... 9_9

[ALS]

However, toll roads are a concern - since I need to have enough cash on hand.

If you ever plan on traveling through Pennsylvania stay off of the Pa. Turnpike I-76.
10.03 cents per mile.

Ohio border to the New Jersey border 356.68 miles is $35.55 for a passenger vehicle.

Take I-80 or I-68 through Maryland.

[wick1ert]

Originally Posted by ALS

If you ever plan on traveling through Pennsylvania stay off of the Pa. Turnpike I-76.
10.03 cents per mile.

Ohio border to the New Jersey border 356.68 miles is $35.55 for a passenger vehicle.

Take I-80 or I-68 through Maryland.

I did exactly this during the week on my way to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. We used to take the PATP, but since they doubled the toll rate a few years ago, we've avoided it at all costs. I am able to make it door to door in right at about 9-10 gallons, or essentially a full tank in the Prius.

For those coming from SEPA area, US 30 to PA 283 to I-283 to I-83 to I-81 to US 322 will help you weave your way diagonally to I-80. I've done that trip so many times I can't remember, as my grandmother used to live in Phillipsburg, just outside State College.

The sad part about this last trip? My friend who I split driving with on the way out, got better MPG than I did. Granted, I did drive faster

[ItsNotAboutTheMoney]

Originally Posted by ALS

If you ever plan on traveling through Pennsylvania stay off of the Pa. Turnpike I-76.
10.03 cents per mile.

Ohio border to the New Jersey border 356.68 miles is $35.55 for a passenger vehicle.

Take I-80 or I-68 through Maryland.

The Maine Turnpike is 4.7c per mile cash tolls for the length. A bit cheaper with EZPass.

However, we generally only use about a 6 mile stretch at the Maine Turnpike's northern end. It's $1 cash at 103 to get off to I295 ("Free I95") but only 50 cents with EZPass.

What really irritates me is their signage: as you approach Exit 103 the signs say to stay on the Pike to get to Portland. I295 passes closer to downtown Portland while the Pike (I95) is on the western side. To make matters worse taking the Pike means you have to travel 10 miles farther.

[chilimac02]

I worry about traffic on holiday weekends in Texas. It takes about twice as long ti get places. Because of that traffic I avoid holiday weekend travel. My trips are 7 to 12 hrs depending on which grandparents we take the kids to see. Unfortunately I usually witness one accident per trip on the 12hr run.