INDIANAPOLIS — Despite record high gas prices that are expected to go even higher, it apparently won't stop families from hitting the road this summer.
AAA estimates nearly 40 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over Memorial Day weekend — a key indicator of summer travel.
"I think people after these past two years seem to be ready to get on the road, go on vacation and find a way to get there," said Lisa Wall, a spokesperson for AAA Hoosier Motor Club. "Maybe they're shortening their trips a little bit, staying at an all-inclusive resort so they don't have to rent a car … but as for the general idea of people getting out and wanting to go places, we are really not seeing an impact at this point."
According to AAA's Fuel Cost Calculator, a road trip to the Grand Canyon this summer — in a minivan that gets 25 miles per gallon — will cost about $680 for fuel round trip from Indianapolis. That's about $286 more than last summer.
A drive to Washington, D.C. will cost close to $230 round trip. That's about $95 more than last year. 13News used a 2010 Chrysler Town and County minivan to calculate the cost.
Is it enough for some to pump the brakes?
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"Absolutely,” said Meghan Osborne as she filled up her gas tank in Zionsville. “I mean a hundred bucks, 200 bucks .. that's a lot of money."
But drivers like Gary Clark aren't changing plans. He's heading to Ohio in his 1965 Shelby Cobra.
"It's my toy," he said.
Not exactly high on fuel efficiency, but a whole lot of fun. And for that, he said he'll find the money.
"You've just got to pay what you got to pay," he said.