Prices force frugal vacations
MILL RUN – High gas prices fueled the catchphrase for this summer’s vacation season.
“It’s the No. 1 conversation here,” said Tracy Czambel, operations manager at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Camp-Resort in Mill Run, who added that the park is seeing fewer out-of-state campers and more local visitors who live within one to three hours of the site. Czambel’s observations indicate that people are still traveling, but trips have been altered in terms of both distance and duration. A survey taken by AAA over the July 4 holiday, which showed a slight decrease – 1.3 percent – in travel in western Pennsylvania, corroborates that notion.
“Of those traveling, they’re not traveling so far and not staying so long,” said Bevi Powell, director of communications at the AAA office in Pittsburgh, who added the next survey is scheduled for Labor Day weekend. The top destinations for vacationers from southwestern Pennsylvania include the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Gettysburg, Niagara Falls, Ocean City, Md., and amusement parks, such as those in Sandusky, Ohio, and others within short driving distances.
In addition to not traveling as far or staying as long, travelers are not spending as much on accommodations and meals, said Powell.
“They’re taking food and using hotels that offer breakfast or kids’ meals free,” she said.
Czambel agreed.
“They’re not spending as much on the incidentals – restaurant, souvenirs, supplies. They’re tighter on the cash items, and they’re more prepared,” said Czambel.
Despite the wallop on wallets and overall economic impact, Czambel said she sees a “positive effect” on the area.
“People are staying local and longer,” she said.
The park has a total of 216 sites, with 42 “seasonal” sites for long-term reservations, and the rest for “transients,” or short-term visitors. With the increase in gas prices, the seasonal waiting list has doubled.
Rather than moving from one campground to another, or one location to another, more campers are staying put once they arrive at a destination, said Randy Work, owner of Jellystone Park.
“People are staying closer to home. Actually, they’re spending more time rather than just a weekend, a few more days. More people are staying longer,” Work said.
And they’re driving less.
“We keep adding cabins. With the price of gas, people want to rent cabins,” he added.
In addition to keeping vacation dollars in the local economy, higher gas prices and subsequent increased costs for energy and food are forcing people to prioritize and choose how to spend their money. Czambel said she is seeing a resurgence in family camping and vacations this summer and views it as a bit of sunshine amidst gloomy energy and economic forecasts.
“We’re seeing a lot of grandpas and grandmas with kids,” she said. “Instead of people going on a cruise and leaving kids, they’re taking family vacations. It’s nice to see people get back to family values.”
Walt and April Schwarz of Allegheny Township in Westmoreland County canceled their beach vacation this year but not necessarily because of high gas prices.
“We would rather be here,” said Walt Schwarz from his seat in a chaise lounge at one of the two pools at Jellystone Park.
The couple has seven children, ages 8 to 26.
“Four are here. The others are coming; they work shifts,” he explained. “The family is more together when we come up here than at home.
“We were here last weekend and this weekend. It’s the nicest camping area. The kids would rather come here than the beach,” he said. “When you invest in a camper, you’re just going to do it.”
His wife, April, explained that the family enjoys staying at the campground and participating in activities there. Sometimes they travel the short distance to take in the sights or eat out at Ohiopyle.
“That’s what we like. Everything we need is right here,” she said.
Chuck Cianciotti of Norvelt in Westmoreland County said it takes about $400 to fill up the specialty diesel rig he uses to tow his camper, but he and his wife, Lisa, and two sons, Dominic, 14, and Dante, 10, have been camping since 1999, and they aren’t about to stop.
“This is our main thing that we do,” he said, noting the truck gets good mileage considering its size and the fact that it’s towing a camper. “It’s not too bad – better than pickups – 18 miles to a gallon (diesel),” he said.
Cianciotti, who owns a heating and air conditioning business, said he does care about high gas prices because of the increased costs of operating his service vehicles.
“But this is something we save up and do. You still see a lot of RVs on the road. It’s a lot cheaper than a hotel,” he said. “We used to go to different states. We haven’t cut down on the number of trips, but we haven’t taken a weeklong trip to an out-of-state destination.”
The high gas prices have “cramped the style” of Larry and Nancy Starling, two “work campers” at Jellystone Park. Work campers are individuals and couples with their own recreational vehicles that offer to work at campsites in exchange for free camping sites plus wages. The Starlings are a retired military couple that now spends their time between Disney World in Orlando, Fla., and the park in Mill Run.
“We used to go to other campgrounds and work – Arizona and other places,” said Larry Starling. “We’re staying on this side of the Mississippi now,” he said, noting that it costs a “small fortune in diesel and gas” to drive from park to park.
“It took us $1,600 in gas and food from Florida to here,” his wife said
The Starlings have been work campers for eight years. Nancy Starling noted her husband’s services as a maintenance man and mechanic are in demand at campsites. She works at park registration offices, stores and gift shops. They both said they enjoy the work and the travel.
“But we’re not doing 3,000 mile trips anymore,” she said.