SURVEY SAYS: How Far Will You Go This Weekend?

May 24, 2007 (PLANSPONSOR.com) - It may have snuck up on you, but Monday is Memorial Day, traditionally viewed as the beginning of the summer vacation season, in addition to the obvious commemoration of lives given in defense of this nation's freedoms.

Still, it IS a three-day weekend, and some of you surely will be taking advantage (based on the “out of office” emails, some already have).    This week I asked readers if they’d be traveling – and if so, how far.

The most common answer, cited by more than a third of this week’s respondents, was that they would be traveling more than 100 miles, but the second most popular response ( 28% ) were going “no where.”   Gas prices were a factor, of course (“Can’t afford the gas!”, exclaimed one reader) – as was the workload.  

Just over 15% were going to be driving 5 to 50 miles, while nearly 12% were looking at a trip of between 50 and 100 miles.   About 8% were doing a short trip – less than 5 miles, and 3% said, “other” – mostly due to multiple trips of varying lengths throughout the weekend.

There were, as usual, a generous assortment of humorous verbatims, including the following:

  • Flying with two small children to Houston to visit in-laws. Pray for me and my fellow travelers. My apologies in advance.
  • With these gas prices?! You are too cute!!!
  • I don’t have any plans but I should drive to the closest hybrid car dealer to purchase a car that gets 50 miles per gallon so on the next 3 day weekend I can actually afford to drive somewhere.  
  • Oh what a wonderful weekend it will be. I plan to imitate a solar pane by laying at the pool and recharging my batteries.
  • It’s Memorial weekend to most of the country but here in Indiana . . . it’s the Indianapolis 500 race weekend. Stores are closed, streets are empty but backyards are filled with friends, family, food, and good times while listening to the race. 🙂 A misconception is that everyone in Indy goes to the race. We go to practice and qualifications. The out of towners go to the race. We know to avoid Speedway on the day of the race . . . traffic is insane. Most of us go to Speedway on race day by radio frequency only.
  • I’ll be traveling 1,000 miles round trip to watch 33 people drive 200 miles around an oval – at the single largest attended one-day sporting event in the world. After all someone has to support the “poor” oil companies who can only afford to give their CEOs $50-60 million (give or take) to retire.
  • I may leave the house to buy more things to grill and beer.
  • No; unless my backyard gets moved somewhere else; that’s where I’ll be……

But this week’s Editor’s Choice goes to the reader who is:  “Going (a) nowhere, So I can travel (b) less than 5 miles to visit the marina / boat that my spouse reminds me that I never have time for, So I can go (a) nowhere, but catch up on the work I need to do, just in case we ever have time to go (f) anywhere beyond the dock!”

Thanks to everyone who participated in our survey!

As for this week's "bonus" question; a third said their 3-day weekend wouldn't begin until Friday afternoon, but 18% said "as soon as my boss will let me", 14% were checking out Friday morning, 10% Friday at noon, and 7.5% were apparently looking ahead to a FOUR-day weekend, since their weekend was going to start today.   For 12% the weekend wouldn't start until Saturday, 2.5% said "what 3 day weekend?", and 10% went for the ever-popular "other."  


1....and then it lasts until I get back from England on June 5!
2.Thursday afternoon.
3.Compamy closes at 1:30 Friday
4.Thursday noon
5.I am the boss and I leave at 5pm with everyone else.
6.I've been preparing (baking, buying, packing) for family cabin weekend since last Saturday, but don't plan to get on the road until Friday. Of course, my mind has been attempting to go on vacation all week, and I have to keep dragging it back to the office.
7.It will really start after my 8 year old daughters soccer game Sat. morning ends. Though I am the coach, I think it's crazy to play on holiday weekends.
8.I have to leave on Friday at 4 p.m. because I'm having an annual termite inspection done on my house. Happy Memorial Day!
9.Friday evening after finishing up new enrollments to a 401(k) plan, I'm sure we'll have a big turnout on the Friday afternoon before a 3 day weekend!
10.Mentally, I've been on vacation all week.
11.Friday night
12.Hi,I was supposed to have Thursday and Friday off, but a Very Important Meeting involving outside vendors and consultants was scheduled tomorrow morning. So - I'm leaving after the business lunch, and will take a half day vacation another time.
13.Around 2:00 p.m., if they follow last year's precedent.
14.It's started in my mind however I am still physically present at work!
15.Not sure... depends on what happens between now and Friday 🙂
16.I am moving back to Ohio to live with my daughter, so I am taking a break from work to pack. The next month is going to be spent moving, mourning and then looking desperately for a new job!
17.Prior to a holiday we often get a mid-afternoon email saying if all critical tasks are cimpleted we can leave at 4 p.m.
18.Mentally I am there already - physically Friday at 5:00.
19.sometime after my 3-4 meeting--I hope by 5
20.We're closing the office early!
1.We'll be traveling about 250 miles this weekend. With the price of gas, I may need to take a personal loan from my 401(k)!!
2.Sunday: Wedding of the daughter of a dear friend I met over 30 years ago. (Boston suburbs to Providence, RI) Monday: Going to NY to stay over with my father and his Significant Other of 15 years. Tuesday: Sailing for England! (Departing NY on the Queen Mary 2 for a trans-Atlantic crossing.)
3.Family special event or I would be staying home.
4.With too much work and too few employees, I suspect I'll be working from home for most of my "holiday" weekend
5.Round trip via car from Idaho through portions of Montana to visit far-flung friends...traveling with 3 children, 2 dogs and a husband...I will probably be ready to come back to work after this "vacation."
6.With these gas prices?! You are to Cute!!!
7.When you live in San Diego, why go anywhere else?
8.Well, nowhere as a holiday thing but I will travel about 80 miles return to care for family. My 89 yr old father is having a hip operation & my 91 yr old (legally blind & mostly deaf) mother needs some support with travel, reading etc. Manure happens.
9.Hoping to get things done around the house so I can have more time available to vacation in July.
10.We'll be traveling by boat a few miles to an unoccupied island to do some camping!
11.Hopefully you will have a 3 day weekend to enjoy.
12.With gas prices hovering at $3.50 a gallon, I can barely afford driving 5 miles to visit my mom for the weekend. Looks like a cookout in her backyard is as close to a vacation as I am going to see.
13.Going to a wedding (I love weddings!) and see other family members.
14.Over 300 miles, and not looking forward to the trip! We go each Memorial Day weekend to open our house on the Cape, and get it ready for the summer rental season.
15.Will be on vacation starting June 6th so will use this 3 day weekend to prepare for that time.
16.Only because my niece is graduating this Thursday
17.Home to tennis club, home to friends or family, home to golf course. That's about it!
18.And since we're driving we're sure to have at least one conversation about gas prices and the possible conspiracy driving the prices up and up.
19.50 miles? That's a regular commute for most people in the SF Bay Area.
20.I need the break - just to rest and recuperate at home!
21.I have to stick around so I can go to a co-ed (i.e., couples), camping-themed wedding shower. Bully!
22.PGA - Memorial Golf Tournament
23.Annual Summer Gasoline Inflation
24.No doubt the weekend will include numerous trips to the local Home Depot!
25.I'll be making it a 4 day weekend, and spending one of those days enjoying live music from Stevie Nicks (the rock goddess) at the beautiful Red Rocks Ampitheatre.
26.I just got back from a week in Hawaii, so I'm looking forward to staying home over the three day weekend. But still might sneak into the office to catch up on the hundreds of emails that I got while vacationing.
27.Saturday is Des Moines' Farmers Market. It's just an incredible experience to get wonderful locally grown fresh produce (asparagus time), and to get an excellent cup of coffee and a sweet treat and run into people you know! It's an event each Saturday through October!
28.No; unless my backyard gets moved somewhere else; that's where I'll be......
29.I'm having lasik eye surgery!
30.My wife has us painting all weekend!!
31.Between the price of gas and the traffic...my place will be at home, my feet propped up and enjoying the peace and quiet!
32.Going to spend the weekend with my grown children -- we'll all be at my daughter and son-in-laws house -- not only celebrating Memorial Day but my birthday. Frankly, the cost of gasoline is keeping us closer to home than we usually are this weekend.
33.Seeing that I have a Tahoe SUV, I have taken another 2nd mortgage to enable me to purchase gas for the trip. Also the cooler will have plenty of bologna sandwiches and Sam's cola and only one six pack of Rolling Rock. Have to sacrifice somewhere.
34.way too much traffic to travel this weekend! plus hotels jack up their rates for this, even if you can make it somewhere.
35.Flying, and renting a car.
36.With the high price of gas currently and the hectic life including work, school, kids' activities, etc., I am greatly looking forward to a relaxing weekend at home with no commitments!
37.Since my husband's passing three years ago, I don't get the invitations to parties and picnics that we did as a couple. People that live in pairs (even if unhappily) appear to be afraid of the single female in their midst.I will use the time to do gardening and house cleaning that I wouldn't normally have time for. Please,ladies. I don't want to steal your husbands--especially if you've done nothing but complain about them.
38.It's also the beginning of lake season for those of us that escape that way!
39.Unfortunately I have a large paper due for school on Tuesday so the weekend may be spent in the library.
40.No plans to go anywhere due to the price of gasoline and with plans to travel in a few weeks.
41.Attending a wedding, what is with this trend of people having weddings on holiday weekends??
42.I'm running the Soldier Field 10 Mile run in downtown Chicago (I live in the burbs.) That's the extent of my travels. This is a good weekend to do chores around the house, like work in the garden, clean out the eves, wash the car, stain the deck,... you get the drift.
43.The parties are all at our house - "Girls Night Out" party on Friday night - the teen sleepover on Saturday and the "Indy 500" party on Sunday! Something for everyone. On Memorial Day itself, we'll be recovering!
44.Today Wednesday 05/23/07 my great great nephew will be born in Mississippi. Saturday morning 'round 3:00 am we will jump in the car and go see him. From my house to Mississippi it is 633 miles! Can't wait!
45.Getting anywhere is too hard in California. Since I have two jobs, staying home is a real treat!
46.Charlotte, North Carolina
47.I'll be attending the Indy 500 and live in the area!
48.I'll be traveling 1,000 miles round trip to watch 33 people drive 200 miles around an oval - at the single largest attended one-day sporting event in the world. After all someone has to support the "poor" oil companies who can only afford to give their CEOs $50-60 million (give or take) to retire.
49.I'm not sure it qualifies as "traveling", but we'll visit with family on the other side of town (roughly a 30 mile round-trip).
50.I don't have any plans but I should drive to the closest hybrid car dealer to purchase a car that gets 50 miles per gallon so on the next 3 day weekend I can actually afford to drive somewhere.
51.With gas prices the way they are, we will be car pooling in vans to get to our destination. It's getting harder to enjoy the "vacation".
52.Since the daughters' boyfriend, who is serving our country in the army, is traveling 7 hours each way to see her on the long weekend I don't feel like I can take the kids camping as I would like to do. However, I must say I prefer not to travel down here in the Southeast on holdiay weekends because of the traffic. On the other hand, it is race week and our local roads will be clogged as well. As a result I have stocked up on groceries and don't plan to travel as far as the grocery store.
53.We will be leaving at 4am tomorrow driving from Florida to our Smokey Mountain Log Cabin in North Carolina. (8 hour drive). Taking the kids too - one golden mix, one choc lab mix, one swiss mtn dog.
54.I chose (c) 5-50 miles because that's the amount of miles I'll put on our various vehicles with various trips to the hardware, lumber company, garden centers, etc. to acommodate the "home" related projects we will be working on. Basically we are staying home to work so we can enjoy summer later!
55.41 miles to Mountain Air Ranch. Oh what a wonderful weekend it will be. I plan to imitate a solar pane by laying at the pool and recharging my batteries.
56.BBQ at home, take the kids to the pool, gather around firepit with neighbors in the evenings...and visit my father's grave and those of all his compatriots at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery.
57.We aren't driving far enough to be deterred by the increase in the price of gas.
58.Heading to Toronto for workshops on personal interests.
59.Lots going on at the country club!
60.We plan an extended camping weekend (in a camper RV of course--if you call that camping).
61.We have a wedding to attend in North Carolina. Traveling from Albany, NY
62.It's Memorial weekend to most of the country but here in Indiana . . . it's the Indianapolis 500 race weekend. Stores are closed, streets are empty but backyards are filled with friends, family, food, and good times while listening to the race. 🙂 A misconception is that everyone in Indy goes to the race. We go to practice and qualifications. The out of towners go to the race. We know to avoid Speedway on the day of the race . . . traffic is insane. Most of us go to Speedway on race day by radio frequency only.
63.I will be on a 9 night cruise if that counts.
64.We've taken Friday off of work to go "up north." We'll actually be returning late Sunday evening so we'll have Memorial Day at home as a sort of "catch-up" day around the house. It's sad when three days isn't enough to both get everything done AND relax.
65.Hi Nevin, I really appreciate this extra comment box. I hope you have a great long weekend!
66.What might have been a nine-day weekend will be an 8.5-day weekend. Visiting a college friend in Savannah, relaxing at home...and coming to the office for an afternoon meeting and evening reception next week.
67.I hate traffic! I'll be going in the opposite direction most people travel and I'll stay put once we get there. In the morning (whenever it is that I get up), I'll enjoy coffee in a ceramic mug, not a travel cup - true bliss!
68.I live in New York City, so it is nice to take advantage of the city when everyone is out of town.
69.Spending the weekend at home and local museums, sites to avoid traffic and stress of driving. Want to relax.
70.The shore or bust!!!
71.I will be inside painting our bedroom. The excuse I didn't have time won't work
72.We go to the parade.
73.Wish I didn't have to with gas being so expensive.
74.I commute most days so it is a treat to be off the highways! We'll do yard work, BBQ/beach(if the weather is nice)... and give thanks, not only to our Vets, but to the fact that the commute is going to be more reasonable till Labor Day!
75.friends coming to visit
76.All in town, though. The 50 miles will entail going to a couple of gatherings as well as getting a few miles in on my bike (assuming I don't get stormed on!)
77.I will be going from Pensacola FL to Seattle WA to participate in my son's promotion ceremony to Sergeant in the US Army. As an added bonus, I get to meet the young woman with whom he has fallen head over heels in love! Since my fiancee' passed away from a massive heart attack on Mother's Day, this will be very special to me. I will be memorializing my great love by celebrating his new love.
78.My sister and I will drive over 400 miles to put flowers on the graves of our parents, grandparents, great-grandparents and an assortment of aunts and uncles. My parents and I began this tradition when I was young and my sister and I continue it every year. It's a great reminder of who we are and how we came to be. And when you look at the dates on some of the stones, you can't help but wonder what their lives were like back in the "olden" days.
79.We are doiung research on my family's geneology, so we will be visiting some cemeteries a few hours away in spite of the gas hick.
80.To the club pool only...have you seen these gas prices??? We have to save for our vacation in July, who knows what we will have to pay for gas by then.
81.Its the traditional weekend to put out the toys at the family's lake home. With commitments at our own home, we may have to take the 120 mile round trip twice.
82.We are flying from Ohio to Oregon for less than 48 hours - yikes. By the way, that is more than 2,000 miles!
83.We can't let the gas thing get in the way of a little R&R. We'll just pack some extra sandwiches and supplies and avoid the fast-food, c-stores and road side vending!
84.I plan on going nowhere this weekend, other than the grocery to stock up for the family barbecue that's at our house this year. With gas at $3.49 a gallon, I'm happy to let them come to us.
85.For the 10th (and final) year in a row, I will be on a soccer field watching my daughter compete in State Cup. Should they win (which would be their 7th in a row), our summer vacation will again consist of more soccer in a state far,far away.
86.Staying home to enjoy my family and the opening of the neighborhood pool - weather permitting of course!
87.Will be working on the yard and just hanging with the kids.
88.I came back to work this week after a 2 week vacation in Italy (it was great!)and now am 2 weeks behind on everything. Part of the long weekend will be devoted to getting some work done.
89.College Graduation @ Florida State University
90.Normally, I would only be traveling for a local family get together which this year will be less than 5 miles. But, I chose more than 100 miles due to the fact that I will be traveling to a major league baseball game on Sunday - which is not necessarily a normal practice for me on the Memorial Day weekend.
91.Taking the family camping.
92.The NCAA Mens Lacrosse Final Four is returning to its rightful home, Baltimore. GO HENS!!!!
93.To the beach with the kids - at least the ones that still qualify on an age basis...
94.Actually, we were supposed to stay in town, but now my wife has decided we should visit her parents to celebrate her father's birthday. It's all fine by me, and we're actually leaving Saturday afternoon, so hopefully traffic won't be so bad. The 90 mile drive to her parents' home in Lake Guntersville used to take 2.5 hours (it's back roads most of the way), but it now takes 3 - 3.5 hours because of heavy Atlanta traffic getting out of town. Anyway, we're hoping a Saturday afternoon drive over will be smoother and quicker.
95.I live 60 miles from Dallas. My son and I are going to Lone Star- Race track.
96.Travleing to the nursery to get my flowers and vegetables......... Oh yeah, and to the drive-thru to get my beer to make the "planting season" a little more enjoyable!
97.I may leave the house to buy more things to grill and beer.

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