Friday, Apr. 25, 2008

Some in Carolinas cutting back on vacations

With the economy making people want to get away more than ever, many Carolinas residents are scaling back vacation plans in the face of rising gas prices and airfares.

Most still plan to take some kind of trip, seeing summer vacation as an entitlement, not an option. A few, though, say record gas prices will prevent them from enjoying even a few days away from home.

Marie Arguijo of Rock Hill works at Kimbrell's Furniture in Fort Mill and usually takes her children, now 8 and 6, to Charleston each summer. Not this year, she said.

"I don't have anything planned to go anywhere," Arguijo, 26, said, "because I don't have money to be spending on vacation."

The same goes for Veronica Schleicher of Charlotte. Her trip to Mexico last summer was postponed by a hurricane. Now the temp worker is waiting another year because of money concerns.

"Everything seems to be more expensive," she said. "Gas, airline tickets, hotels."

Others say they can't imagine giving up vacation. Instead, they're considering taking shorter trips -- distance and days -- and spending less. As they pinch pennies, businesses are dangling discounts to counter the squeeze at the pump.

Gas prices are "unreal," said Wesley Simmons of Charlotte, but he doesn't want his two younger children to miss out on the travel opportunities his two older children, now in college, had. The family is exploring a trip to Canada, and gas prices will decide whether they drive or fly, said Simmons, 53, who works with The Risk Management Group, a financial company.

"I'm going to be very diligent," he said, "making sure that we find the best deals."

Such changes mesh with what AAA Carolinas customers are saying, spokesman Tom Crosby said. Europe is out, while cruises or other vacation packages with fixed costs are in. Within the U.S., many trips will be shorter.

One constant, Crosby said, is that most folks won't stay home.

"People feel they have earned and deserve a vacation," he said via e-mail, "even if the destination and means of getting there may change."

Destinations attempt to adapt

AAA will release its latest survey of travelers' plans next month, Crosby said. Some Carolinas driving destinations already are adapting to changes.The Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce has boosted its advertising spending in communities within an eight-hour drive of the region, said Brad Dean, the chamber's president and CEO. In addition, Dean said, hotels and rental companies are offering discounts and gas cards, while the chamber is helping promote packages that can save travelers more than $1,000 total.

"This is the first time that we've gone to pushing dollar value discounts with a call to action," he said

In Asheville, the Biltmore Estate is mulling more advertising in smaller Carolinas cities to attract people who have dropped plans for faraway vacations, said Julie Hanser, vice president of attraction marketing at the estate.

"We tend to focus on major metropolitan markets like Charlotte," Hanser said. "With all of this brewing, we thought about adding smaller markets, such as Hickory."

Some vacation rental companies within driving distance of Charlotte haven't seen a boom yet.

Advance reservations for this summer at Carolina Mornings/Asheville Vacation Rentals -- which has about 100 cabins, condos and chalets -- are down about 20 percent from last year, said Tena Moore, the company's marketing director. Renters also are committing less money, she said.

"In general," Moore said, "they are either choosing cheaper rental properties or staying less time with us."

On the coast, summer reservations for roughly 350 properties managed by Grand Strand Vacations have been "a little slower than we would like them to be," said Chuck Kennedy, general manager of the North Myrtle Beach company.

"We're offering a lot of discounts to compensate for the gas prices," he said, recalling similar lulls in previous springs that gave way to busy summers.

"It'll all turn out fine," he said. "We've just got to be creative."

Travelers also are trying to look at the positives of scaled-back vacation plans.

Jane Carpenter, a construction consultant who lives in Matthews, said her family usually flies somewhere during the summer. This year, she said via e-mail, they're car-pooling to a cabin on Lake Nantahala in Western North Carolina.

"Maybe a vacation closer to our hometown will be less stressful," Carpenter said.

"And who knows?" she added. "We may even talk to each other more."

"Before, we wouldn't think twice about jumping in the car on the spur of the moment and heading down to the beach or mountains for a long weekend. Now we don't do that."

Cindy Cooley, information technology specialist, Charlotte. She's driving to Savannah instead of Delaware.

"All the talk and hubbub about gas prices and airline tickets is making us more eager to travel."

Mitchel Kotula, stay-at-home father, Charlotte. He's going to New York, Florida, Charleston and Hilton Head with his wife and daughter.

Good deals available

If your travel plans are up in the air, you might be able to take advantage of discounts at hotels and rental properties where reservations are down.

August usually has less demand for rooms because many families are getting ready for school to start. But some hotels and vacation rental companies also are cutting rates for certain days in June and July to entice people who are worried about high gas prices.

To find out if discounts are available in an area, call the local visitors bureau or chamber of commerce. Also check the Web sites for rental properties and hotels.