填空题 High fuel prices will probably keep Americans closer to home this summer. A recent poll by AOL and Zogby found that 30% of Americans have changed their vacation plans because of high fuel prices. On websites like Ecomodder and Daily Fuel Economy Tip, drivers are learning how to save by driving smarter, hunting down deals, finding alternative modes of transportation or-at worst-finding creative reasons to spend less time behind the wheel and more time relaxing. "People aren't canceling their trips outright," says Marie Dodds, a spokeswoman for American Automobile Association, "but they are definitely looking into other options."
{{U}} {{U}} 21 {{/U}} {{/U}}Means to make the trip cheaper:
For many American families, even a road trip can feel like a luxury when it costs ＄75 to fill the fuel tank.
{{U}} {{U}} 22 {{/U}} {{/U}}Drive less, save more:
The most obvious way to save gas is simply to drive less. For some, that means changing the destination.
{{U}} {{U}} 23 {{/U}} {{/U}}A different way of camping:
Even camping-that mainstay of penny-pincher vacations-might look different this year, thanks to gas prices. State parks in New York, Maine and Vermont have all reported an increase of 10% to 15% in camping reservations over last year. But more campers will be arriving not by gassy recreational vehicle but by ear-or even motorbike. Campgrounds have become more motorcycle-friendly in recent years to cater to that growing market.
{{U}} {{U}} 24 {{/U}} {{/U}}More advice on gas-saving:
What about Americans who can't resist the call of a summer road trip? Benjamin Jones, known for extreme gas-saving stunts like covering the underside of a car with corrugated plastic to reduce drag and coasting in neutral with the engine off instead of hitting the brakes, gives them some advice.
{{U}} {{U}} 25 {{/U}} {{/U}}Staycation becomes popular:
Some families, though, are simply taking more vacation closer to or at home.
Alnericans are used to tough economic times and challenging environments in which to travel. "They've become ever-increasingly resilient," one governmental officer said. "Although Americans consider their vacations sacrosanct, they are being more discreet. Americans will continue to travel; they're just going to change the way they travel."
A. Brad Smith of Portland, Ore., is taking his two kids, ages 7 and 8, on a three-day bike ride along the southern Oregon coast sponsored by a nonprofit group called Cycle Oregon. Smith, 45, says exercising as a family is a new priority. Bonus: "I can have a beer at the end of the day, and I don't feel guilty about it."
B. That's why Ronelle Scardina, 39, scrapped plans to drive 400 miles to Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., this Juiy and decided instead to rent a cabin on a lake just two hours from her home in San Rafael. "Prices are going up on everything, and we have a mortgage and a family to support," says the working morn, who expects to scrimp even more by packing her family of four into her 1994 Honda Civic instead of taking her roomier-but gas-slurping-SUV.
C. Scardina got a family pool pass to her local community center, which she can walk to, and plans to carpool to the beach with friends. She'll also take her kids, ages 5 and 6, to local puppet shows, an African dance festival and live music at a nearby outdoor amphitheater. This summer there may be no better way to save money than to stay home.
D. For ordinary drivers, he recommends avoiding stop-and-go driving and idling, which depletes up to a gallon of gas per hour. Driving 55 m.p.h, instead of 80 saves 20% of gas over the same distance, he says.
E. Doug and Cheryl Ludwig of Frederick, Md., recently canceled an 18,000-mile trip to Alaska that they had been planning to take in their recreational vehicle, which gets just 10 m.p.g. Instead, they'll be heading to Amish country in nearby Pennsylvania.
F. Chris Rhie, 23, says he plans to ride his new Suzuki motorcycle-which gets 50 m.p.g.-from San Francisco to Yosemite for a camping trip with his girlfriend this summer.