SURVEY SAYS – How Far Will You Travel This Weekend?
However, even though gas prices are once again rising (again with no apparent logic other than people making money at our expense), looks like a goodly number of readers will, once again, be traveling a goodly amount.
However, in a response remarkably similar to that of a poll we took in 2007 – when it seemed that gas prices and the economy were a bit less worrisome (see SURVEY SAYS: How Far Will You Go This Weekend? ). This year 30.5% – the most popular response – said they were traveling more than 100 miles, only slightly down from the third that had that kind of distance in mind two years ago.
Then, as now, going “no where” was the second-most popular response, cited by 29.5% this year, compared with 28% in 2007.
Among the rest of the responses (2007 in parens),
- 18.9% – 5-50 miles (15%)
- 14.7% – 50-100 miles (12%)
- 6.3% – less than 5 miles (8%)
Among my favorite verbatims this week:
"My house has been for sale for so-o-o-o long. I'm staying right here in case a buyer comes along who wants to see it over the weekend. It will give me a chance to clean the garage and give the dogs a bath (they really, really need one)."
"I think the hardware store is less than 5 miles. It's project weekend."
"Favorite bar is 3 blocks away, so 6 blocks, maybe 12. I plan on making it home too."
To the store for beer and charcoal and to the golf course."
"I'll be leaving the country and who knows if I'll come back."
"To my office and back. Darn the billable hour.
"I will be traveling 150 miles, but it can't really be called a vacation. We're going to drive to my mother-in-law's to fix her yard.
"The most I will travel is about 10 feet. From my patio chair to my fridge!"
"It depends on how many trips I have to make to the grocery store to keep my teenagers and their friends fed. I also heard my husband mention a home project, so that will include multiple trips to the lumber yard and/or Home Depot."
But this week's Bonus Editor's Choice goes to the reader who plans to travel "However many miles it takes to weave back and forth behind my lawnmower."
Thanks to everyone who participated in our bonus survey!
| No plans, but I may need to get spontaneous and then regret that I'm out on the road fighting for lane space with everybody else. |
| My house has been for sale for so-o-o-o long. I'm staying right here in case a buyer comes along who wants to see it over the weekend. It will give me a chance to clean the garage and give the dogs a bath (they really, really need one). |
| I think the hardware store is less than 5 miles. It's project weekend. |
| My dad, brother and I (who all work together) will be traveling from Ohio to Charlotte, NC for a weekend of NASCAR racing. My mom gets to stay home and watch after her three "fur" grandchildren. |
| However many miles it takes to weave back and forth behind my lawnmower. |
| Favorite bar is 3 blocks away, so 6 blocks, maybe 12. I plan on making it home too. |
| I see the ocean every day. I live <2 miles from a beach. How often do I go there? Never! Something is wrong with this picture. Maybe I need to worry less about wrinkles and just get out there for some vitamin D! |
| To the store for beer and charcoal and to the golf course. |
| Watching the league leading Brewers play the Cards on Monday. |
| Traveling from the DC area to the Catskills. |
| Going to Egypt for two weeks!!! I planned the trip around the holiday weekend so that I'd have to take one less day off from work. |
| I'll be leaving the country and who knows if I'll come back. |
| To my office and back. Darn the billable hour. |
| 1,840 miles |
| We are actually the few who are benefiting from the housing crisis by buying our first home. Therefore, we aren't going anywhere for Memorial Day but rather inviting our family and friends over to our new house to celebrate. I'll be working Tuesday-Friday next week since we somehow have our audit scheduled that week. My significant other will be enjoying a week long fishing trip in PA. Somehow that just doesn't seem fair... |
| We'll go & visit friends 1 day but will stay home & relax the rest of the weekend. |
| I will be travelling 150 miles, but it can't really be called a vacation. We're going to drive to my mother-in-law's to fix her yard. |
| I will drive to the marina to board my sailboat and from there let the wind take me where it will. |
| The most I will travel is about 10 feet. From my patio chair to my fridge! |
| We spend every weekend driving to our seasonal cottage so Memorial Day weekend is no different. But we have to drive through Chicago so for a holiday weekend we have to time it completely differently (or fly). This year we're taking Friday off to get a head start. |
| We're hitting a couple of fun places within driving distance of our home that doesn't require much driving or a hotel stay. |
| We're headed to Cincinnati for 2 Reds games, a stadium tour, and a visit to their hall of fame - a Christmas gift to my husband. A true gift as I am not much of a baseball fan. It's a 9-hour drive and I'm really really hoping for good weather. The saving grace? We're also planning to do the zoo and the aquarium. Now that I enjoy. Hope you have a great weekend, Nevin. |
| We'll take a trip out to the country to check out a farmers' market. No more than 10 miles out. We also might drive to the multiplex to see the new Star Trek movie. |
| Just spending time with family. |
| We live in Texas...travel anywhere involves over 50 miles. Fortunately, the relatives are "relatively" close. |
| Fortunately I live relatively close to my parents and husband's kids so we don't need to do any travelling beyond day trips. |
| Going to visit family in South Florida. |
| I am always "forced" to visit my mom who lives at the beach. |
| 500 miles one way...but since I started a new job a year ago and the old house hasn't sold yet, I've got to go back and check up on things...it's not really a vacation |
| About 500 miles round trip. We will be visiting my grandfather who just turned 98. We don't visit as often as we should but we always keep Memorial Day weekend open for it. He can teach us all alot. |
| It depends on how many trips I have to make to the grocery store to keep my teenagers and their friends fed. I also heard my husband mention a home project, so that will include multiple trips to the lumber yard and/or Home Depot. |
| 200 miles up to a friend's condo on New Found Lake in Bristol, NH. |