As prices climb at the pump, so do driver’s concerns about summer traveling.

Continue reading

Elise Allison and her family visited D.C. from San Francisco. Based on gas prices at home, she said the vacation will likely be the last big trip the family takes this year.

“Vacations aren't really a necessity, so that's not really my priority right now,” Allison said.

She isn’t alone. Residents from Tennessee to here in Virginia said they’re planning to have a “staycation” this year rather than spend hundreds in gas costs.

Nationally, prices are about $0.14 from the dreaded $4 a gallon mark. But the gap is closing rapidly. In Springfield, a gallon of gas goes for $3.97.

According to AAA, drivers are paying $1.01 more per gallon this year compared to the same time last year. That translates to roughly more than $2,600 a year for the average three-car family.

Springfield resident Fernando Martinez is already gauging how the increase will affect his family.

"We normally go to Myrtle Beach or Ocean City or Virginia Beach, but it's just so much now that it takes a step back,” Martinez said.