Canadia drivers adapt to high gasoline prices, keep road-trip plans alive

[Bulldog]

By Jim Fox, THE CANADIAN PRESS

Bob Armstrong isn't going to let higher gas prices ruin his summer travel plans.

The 47-year-old Winnipeg playwright, like many Canadians, is working on strategies to ensure his road-trip costs are manageable.

"We're probably less likely to do as many day trips where there's a two-hour drive each way, but if a location is worth going to we'll combine it with something else and do it as a weekend getaway," Armstrong said.


A motorist fills his RV as gas prices rise again at a service station in Trenton, Ont. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ J.P. Moczulski

And instead of driving with his wife all the way to Calgary to be with his parents in August, they'll all share the gasoline expenses by meeting in the middle to spend time at Prince Albert National Park in Saskatchewan.

Gas price angst - with predictions the price of a litre of regular could rise to more than $1.40 by the peak driving season - is haunting many people planning their traditional summer highway treks.

The Hotel Association of Canada says Canadians' travel intentions have "softened."

In a recent annual poll 70 per cent of Canadians said they planned to take a domestic trip some time in 2008, down from 78 per cent in last year's survey, the association said. Major reasons for the decline included "financial concerns" and "higher gas/energy prices."

In 2006, just three per cent of people cited the price of gas as a reason for travelling less, compared to 22 per cent in the latest poll, said association president Anthony Pollard.

As for Armstrong, he doesn't want to give up his highway excursions.

"I'd rather save gas in the city by biking to work and errands and still be able to get away on weekends and holidays," he said.

Another gas-saving strategy will be driving at the speed limit instead of the "usual five to 10 kilometres above," Armstrong said.

Tourism officials across the country think vacationers will adapt in various ways to the high gas prices.

"The added fuel expense may compel consumers to make different travel choices, such as flying rather than driving, or choosing to take shorter vacations and staying closer to home," said Kevin Desjardins of the Tourism Industry Association of Canada.

Some provinces are launching vacation-at-home campaigns - including a Travel Alberta program and one called "Celebrate Manitoba" - geared to local residents to offset an expected drop in arrivals of outsiders.

"It is our belief and hope that Albertans and western Canadians will remain more regional and that traffic will continue to flow," said Kelly Killick-Smit of the David Thompson Resort in the Rocky Mountains near Nordegg, Alta.

The resort gives guests a three-cent-a-litre discount on fuel bought at an on-site pump.

Such gas-rebate incentives are growing within the hospitality industry. The Sheraton Ottawa Hotel has a "Drive and Stay and Save" summer package that includes a $10 rebate nightly. Some Marriott properties and Choice hotels also offer gasoline-related deals.

Opting for air travel or a cruise ship vacation probably won't offer an escape from higher fuel prices, since surcharges have been imposed - but the situation with trains is different.

"We don't have any fuel surcharges planned," said Malcolm Andrews of Via Rail, adding that this summer is shaping up to be a busy one.

You can take your bike on Via, especially on the Bike Train between Toronto and Niagara Falls, Ont., for two-wheeled day-trips. You can also stow a canoe on board on some routes.

People who tow recreational vehicles are "looking more at seasonal campsites or purchasing RV lots and parking them instead of travelling to different destinations," said Adam Ledwon of Spring Lake RV Resort west of Edmonton.

Fred Wright of Toronto recently traded up to a new fifth-wheel trailer, a towable RV, as he and his wife Suzanne like to visit various parks around Ontario.

"I only get about seven miles per gallon (about 34 litres per 100 kilometres) when I'm pulling the trailer, so we've decided after this summer we'll put it at a seasonal park and only take it out once a year," he said.

The Canadian Automobile Association has found that the number of TripTiks - planned travel routings - requested over the past year is "up slightly," said Edyta Zdancewicz of CAA South Central Ontario in Toronto.

"That shows us that people are still travelling by car but they are travelling wisely by planning their route and looking for the most direct way to get to their destination," she said.

http://travel.canoe.ca/Travel/News/2008/05/02/5455851-cp.html