Travel Ain't What It Used To Be

The upcoming Memorial Day Holiday Weekend in the US marks the start of the official summer vacation travel season. While the economy has the airlines projecting even lower demand for their seats, the American Automobile Association says overall vacation travel for the holiday weekend will be up this year by 1-point-5 percent, and the vast majority of vacationers will choose to go by car.

There are a number of possible reasons, not the least of which is gasoline prices which are well below this time last year. The swine flu hype appears to be turning to a yawn, and many normally crowded vacation destinations have been aggressively cutting room rates to make sure they stay full.

Still, it's interesting to note that airline tickets are also cheaper than they were at this time last year, and are almost always cheaper than driving if you're travelling over a few hundred miles.

Could it be that we're just tired of standing in long lines, getting frisked or full-body-scanned, and spending the following week with only three ounces of shampoo?

Hmmm....

FMI: www.transportation.gov