Rising gas prices, a challenging travel environment and general economic uncertainty are taking their toll on travelers and their vacation plans.
Msnbc.com recently asked readers for their summer travel stories.
Click the quotes above for a selection of “miserable summer” tales from a variety of folks from all across the country.";
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i++] = new Array("","\"My husband really didn't want to go on another vacation ...\"","Jolyn and Ken Zielesch at Grand Teton National Park.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/Travel%20Section/MY%20MISERABLE%20SUMMER/Jolyn.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "410", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i-1].body = "
Jolyn Zielesch
Medical technologist
Fraser, Mich.
We normally take our summer vacations in July, when my husband gets two weeks off from work. We've been to Las Vegas for our 25th anniversary, as well as Niagara Falls and Mackinac Island in Michigan in the past.
My husband really didn't want to go on another vacation this summer. I was the one who pushed for it. My sister has visited Yellowstone National Park for the last three years and I wanted to experience it, too. Driving there was not an option, so it was either find a way to get there for under $300 for two of us or not go this year.
I found an article that said if you were planning on taking a trip, you should probably go this year and not put it off because next year the airfare would really go up.
After many hours on the Internet and numerous phone calls to my airline, I redeemed some of our frequent flier miles for a free ticket. We flew into Billings, Mont., and stayed near the park. We also had an opportunity to visit Grand Tetons National Park.
If we hadn't been able to use our miles this summer, we wouldn't have had a vacation. The airfare alone would have been $800 for two of us.";
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i++] = new Array("","\"The cost of gas is too much\"","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i-1].body = "
Nancy Carol Marquand
Airline customer service representative
Denver
Since summer is the busiest time of the year for air travel, I can only squeeze in part of my vacation time in August, when things are winding down.
I always go to visit family in New Mexico. And I always fly because it's convenient -- and because I work for an airline, it's free.
But my real vacation doesn't happen until fall, when things have slowed down. I try to visit a different state on the east coast. I rent a car and drive to as many places as possible, staying in various towns.
This year I will not be making the trip. The cost of gas is too much.
There's also a lot of job uncertainty. The airlines have taken the fuel crisis very hard. Many employees have been laid off and my job could be next. I can't take the chance.
Instead, I'm planning to take a day here and there to drive to the mountains. Living here in Colorado, I've taken it for granted that getting away doesn't have to be a major production or a drain on the wallet.
I think you can have a vacation wherever you live. Some of my best times have been spent at home with family and friends. Given the circumstances of our economy, I think this is one summer we will always remember.";
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i++] = new Array("","\"This summer is different\"","Norma and Lee Jackson at the Crab Trap Seafood restaurant in Destin, Fla.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/Travel%20Section/MY%20MISERABLE%20SUMMER/Norma.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i-1].body = "
Norma Jackson
Nurse
Indianapolis
Our summer vacation usually centers around the beach. My family loves to go to Florida, and we stay there for anywhere between a week and 10 days.
This summer is different. The airline rates have doubled from what I am used to paying and I can't afford those prices. Plus, the service is so bad. I ran into some hateful flight attendants on my last two flights.
With the high price of airline tickets, my husband and I decided that we would drive to Florida this year -- if gas prices don't go though the ceiling. If they increase much more we will stay home.
We're looking at September -– if we decide to go. The rates are cheaper. Resorts are adding some incentives such as gas cards. A $50 gas card will pay for a tank of gas. Still, the sting of gas prices will be the deciding factor as we get closer to September.
I am 54 years old and I haven't seen things this bad since the Jimmy Carter reign. I work 60 hours a week. My husband has a small business. It seems like it takes everything now to buy the necessities in life.";
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i++] = new Array("","\"From now on we're driving\"","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i-1].body = "
David Upchurch
Corporate pilot
Scottsdale, Ariz.
We normally fly from Phoenix to Indianapolis for the Fourth of July to get out of the Arizona heat for a week. This year, we flew to Hawaii for our 25th anniversary.
I booked the tickets in early April on American Airlines before the price increases. And, for the first time, we shipped our luggage via the postal service to avoid airline charges and because we didn't want our luggage to get lost. That's happened to us twice in the past.
I'm done with flying. From now on we're driving. It is just too frustrating to use the airlines any more. If I treated our passengers the way the airlines treat passengers, I would be fired.
Next summer, we're driving to Indiana instead of flying. We'll avoid the hassles and the Transportation Security Administration, the delays, the attitudes of airline employees, the extra charges, the overcrowded flights and the lost luggage.
The airlines are their own worst enemy.";
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i++] = new Array("","\"I have decided to take a cruise\"","Apple Plotnick and boyfriend Jeremy Jannotta enjoying the Dinosaur room of the Natural History Museum in Washington, D.C.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/Travel%20Section/MY%20MISERABLE%20SUMMER/Apple.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "273", "364", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i-1].body = "
Apple Plotnick
E-mail fanclub manager
Charlottesville, Va.
In years past, as a do-it-yourself traveler, I visited friends in Europe for summer vacations, staying in hostels and traveling by foot, train, and occasionally, car. I've also flown down to Florida for two-week vacations to visit family.
Putting together my own vacation is simply too expensive, with the dollar exchange being so low right now, as well as the rising costs of gas. Driving used to be a low-cost way of experiencing a new city, but it's become a financial drain.
Because of high costs of gas and a completely unreliable airline industry, I have decided to take a cruise that leaves from my state of Virginia so that I can rely solely on myself for transportation to and from my departure port. The cruise will also include all the hotel, gas and food costs, as well as combining entertainment with my interests in guided travel.
Now, I plan on exploring the ship, shore excursions, tours, and I will use my own feet as we dock at interesting ports of call.
I hope to get some fun and some sun for my 30th birthday.";
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i++] = new Array("","\"This summer has changed our feelings about vacations\"","","","","", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i-1].body = "
Katie Poti
Recruitment specialist
Huntington, W.V.
Travel broadens our horizons. Last summer we vacationed in Chicago for five days. We stayed in a hotel downtown, went to a Broadway show, did some sightseeing and attended a professional rugby match. It cost us about $1,000, excluding shopping and food. We enjoy driving so we can see the sights along the way and often take longer routes in order to see something new.
This summer is much different for us because we just bought our first home in March and have a baby due in October. I would say that even if gas prices weren't as high as they are we would still be spending our money elsewhere.
We're taking a short vacation this year in August, to Charleston, S.C.
But this time we are staying with family due to the added travel expense. Instead of staying on the beach with some friends, we are most likely staying with my aunt and eating most of our meals in. We are still going though with this trip because we know it will be our last vacation and our last anniversary before we have a baby.
This summer has changed our feelings about vacations to feelings of frustration. It used to be easier to just pick up and go somewhere, but now with the expense of gasoline -- and everything else for that matter -- trips require more financial planning.
We feel like we work very hard for the money we make and the time off we get, and a vacation shouldn't feel like punishment or something we should feel guilty about doing. Instead we feel more stressed out about taking a vacation now than we would if we just took our time off and stayed home.";
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i++] = new Array("","\"We deserve this\"","Christine Painter with her son, Derek (left), and daughter, Kate (right) in Rocky Mountain National Park, Colo.","http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/msnbc/Sections/Travel%20Section/MY%20MISERABLE%20SUMMER/Christine%20Painter.hmedium.jpg","","", "", "", "", "", "left", "", "", "118", "226", "#000000", "", "", "", "");
TRAVEL_MiserableSummer_Spotlights[i-1].body = "
Christine Painter
Administrative assistant
Perkasie, Pa.
For years, we've vacationed in the Outer Banks of North Carolina. We always stay a week at a time and make the eight-hour drive in a couple of cars. As finances have allowed, I have also vacationed in Colorado and stayed with family there. Staying with friends and relatives around the country is a great way to reduce costs.
With the economic stimulus checks this year, I was planning on using that money toward a different vacation for my daughter and me -- a way of celebrating the upcoming end of her college years and maintaining a high grade point average throughout.
Key West was a place that we both wanted to visit, so I started planning this trip in February. I really wanted to do this mother-daughter trip, so I made it my job, sometimes late into the night, looking online for low-cost fun in South Florida.
I'm cutting our stay in the Keys by two days. We will spend more time in South Beach, where we are renting a studio apartment in an Art Deco hotel on the beach. This way, we have a kitchenette, which will save on food expenses. I was also fortunate enough to rent directly from the apartment owner which saved me about $120 per night.
South Beach is very walkable, so I am turning in the rental car two days earlier, which will save us money on gas, parking and total rental charges. But we are not postponing our vacation. We deserve this.";
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