SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The price just keeps going up. This Fourth of July, people are paying more than ever to fill up their tanks.
"Back in November it was $30. Now it's $45. It makes a difference. It's not the greatest thing in the world. Plus it's a Civic. It's not like I've got an SUV," said Mario Klisanin, a Syracuse resident.
For the first time in 10 years, AAA Travel has seen a drop in the number of people traveling this holiday.
"It's a modest decrease and it's not a surprising decrease. Obviously, the largest factor is gas prices. Many people are making comments about gas prices affecting their travel plans," said Diana Dibble, AAA Public Affairs Manager.
"I have a camper sitting in my driveway and I wouldn't even think of filling it with gas now. We used to fill it for $27 and run for 80, 90, 100 miles and now I wouldn't even want to guess," said Peter Lockwood, a Syracuse resident.
An average gallon of gasoline in Central New York costs about $4.22. That's almost $1.15 higher than it was last Fourth of July. As our Katie Morse reports, the prices are having an impact on holiday travel.
Even though many people chose to stay home this holiday weekend, there still are some who are planning to hit the road and many of them made their travel plans ahead of time to help cut the cost.
"We are seeing people that are considering staying closer to home, not traveling for as many days. Also looking for ways to save on accommodations, looking to take advantage of discounts, savings on meals, using coupons," said Dibble.
"There's so many campers going up and down the Thruway here that people are staying close to home I think. There's a lot of camp grounds right around here mostly all booked, so I don't think too many people are going far," said Lockwood.
About 13 percent of Americans are expected to travel this weekend and more than 34 million of them by automobile.
People traveling by airplane are seeing similar price increases. Holiday weekend air fares are up about 13 percent from last year.