Which Way to Go?

Flling up the car is starting, for some reason, to bring to mind Mel Gibson's "Mad Max" movies. Food, even such basics as bread and milk, costs more than it did six months ago. And consumer confidence is just about as strong as the U.S. dollar, which, of course, is getting its greenbacked butt kicked by the Euro.

Against this backdrop of unsettling economic stuff: Where are you going on summer vacation?

If anything might put a crimp in the Great American Summer Vacation, it would be the country's economic woes. Yet, Americans apparently aren't going to let a bit of financial uncertainty keep them from their appointments at the shore, in the backcountry or in the foreign land of their choice.

Even if they have to alter their travel plans to save a few bucks wherever they can.

"People are still traveling, believe it or not, which is good," notes Maria Lilibeth Ruiz, director of marketing for Prestige Travel and Cruises American Express.

Ruiz says her firm hasn't seen many summer trip cancellations, although some aspiring globetrotters are turning that $5,000 European trip into a less-expensive Caribbean cruise or Mexican vacation or repackaging that European vacation into a more price-friendly European cruise.

Chris McGinnis, editor of the Expedia Travel Trendwatch, agrees that "people are still traveling despite the economic malaise."

"The summer vacation is really part of the American tradition, so people aren't willing to give it up yet," he adds. "So, they're still traveling, but they're traveling differently."

Michael Geeser, spokesman for AAA Nevada, says the organization's Memorial Day travel survey revealed a drop in the number of Americans who planned to travel during this year's traditional summer-kickoff holiday weekend, "and I think that can be directly attributed to the high cost of gas."

For June, July and August, the AAA foresees a drop of 1 percent to 1.5 percent in the number of Americans who'll be traveling, compared to last summer.

But, Geeser says, AAA also expects Americans to take more than 327 million trips this summer, "and that's a lot of people traveling, even in a down economy."

"Many people not only budget their money for trips, but they've also secured time off from work," he says. "When that happens, people are usually going to continue to go on their trip since they have time off and have put aside some money."

Still, many vacationers' plans will change. AAA research indicates that travelers this summer are "more likely now to stay in less expensive hotels and eat at less expensive restaurants to try to make that trip happen," Geeser says.

Also a sign of a financially tightened summer travel season: According to Geeser, intermediate-level car rentals have gone up 45 percent compared to a year ago. "What that tells us is a lot of people, again, are still saying they're going to take trips, but they're not going to take their car. They're, perhaps, going to rent something else instead of taking that (family) SUV."

Ruiz says the value-conscious environment should make this a good summer for package tours and cruises. The appeal is that both are booked using U.S. dollars -- sidestepping the dollar's anemic exchange rate in Europe and other parts of the world -- and already include lodging, meals and other basic trip amenities.

McGinnis agrees that "it's a very good time to be looking at packages," including booking a flight and a hotel together to save money.

Some travelers also may be moved to explore vacation destinations that hadn't occurred to them at first.

For example, Las Vegas-based Allegiant Air flies to Las Vegas from 37 cities, most of which aren't served by low-cost, large-jet airlines. While the airline's primary focus is on bringing passengers to Las Vegas, Allegiant spokeswoman Tyri Squyres notes that many of Allegiant's destinations are near tourist-friendly attractions.

A flight from Las Vegas to Bellingham, Wash., would put a Southern Nevadan about a half-hour drive from Vancouver, British Columbia, while a flight to Fresno, Calif., would land a tourist within driving distance of Yosemite National Park.

Meanwhile, Squyres doesn't expect Allegiant's customers to cancel their Las Vegas vacations this summer. "People value their vacation time," she says, even if they may not take two- or three-week trips. "So you take those long weekends whenever you can, and I think our airline is ideal for that."

According to Ruiz and McGinnis, travel values can be found for this summer's savvy vacationers.

Alaska cruises "are a good deal now," Ruiz says. For example, a 10-day cruise/tour to Alaska in mid-August with one major cruise line -- with an ocean-view cabin -- this week can be purchased for about $1,249 per person, versus $2,400 in January.

Why? "They're just responding to the economy right now," Ruiz says.

Mexico also is a good value this summer, Ruiz says, because the U.S. dollar remains strong there. McGinnis suggests that travelers who find Paris or Rome too expensive consider such Eastern European countries as Poland, Croatia and Bulgaria.

"Countries like that still provide a very wonderful European experience, but they're much less expensive because they're still on their own currencies," McGinnis says.

"And the other big trend is people having a yearning for an international experience heading south to Latin America," McGinnis says. "At Expedia (Expedia.com), we've noticed about an 8 percent increase year after year booking to Latin America."

South American destinations mesh well with a growing trend toward what often are called "life-enhancing trips," Ruiz says. "So when they go to Peru, they don't just go to Peru, per se, but they might hike Machu Picchu."

Planning is just as vital for summer travelers who want to take a classic road trip this year. Because gasoline prices are so high -- the average price in Las Vegas Wednesday was $4.02, while the state average hit $4.05 -- motorists are looking for ways to tighten other components of their vacation budgets, Geeser says. One useful tool, he notes, is the AAA's fuel cost calculator (www.fuel costcalculator.com). Travelers simply enter the year, make and model of their car, their starting point and destination city. The calculator estimates trip gasoline costs based on current prices.

AAA's TripTiks also can help members avoid unnecessary delays, detours and backtracking, Geeser says. And, he notes, now is a good time to make sure cars are well-maintained.

In terms of both convenience and improving gasoline mileage, he says, "that's probably the biggest thing you can do."

While this summer presents challenges to vacationers, deals still can be found, McGinnis says.

"It's like that every year: If you're willing to look harder, you can always find great deals. Deals haven't gone away."

Contact reporter John Przybys at jprzybys@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0280.