Some Texans put holiday travel plans on hold

"Across the state and much of the country, motorists driving to their holiday destinations will encounter the highest prices ever recorded for a gallon of gasoline," said AAA Texas spokesperson Rose Rougeau. Texas drivers will pay an average of $3.81 per gallon for gasoline, 77 cents a gallon higher than this time last year. Air fares, too, are expected to be some 8 percent higher than last year and car rentals have increased from an average of $31 per day last year to this year's rate of $45 per day.

Earlier this week, American Airlines announced that it will begin charging a $15 fee for the first checked bag. The airline also noted its plans to significantly reduce its schedule and possibly cut jobs. These changes, said airline officials, are a direct result of rising fuel costs and a faltering economy.

Throughout the state, Texans are dealing with higher gas and food prices in different ways. A Nacogdoches bicycle dealer reports bike sales since December have climbed 40 percent, as some choose to pedal to work rather than buy gasoline for their vehicles. Some two-car families are opting to use the vehicle that gets the best mileage when they travel. Some are looking for carpools. Some families are cutting expenses elsewhere - less eating out, fewer movies, etc.

Texans are planning summer vacations closer to home. They are looking for places to stay that have kitchenettes or at the very least in-room refrigerators and microwave ovens to they can cook their meals rather than dine out. Many who enjoy dining out are now doing so at lunch instead of dinner to take advantage of prices that are usually lower for the noonday meal.

Food banks throughout the state are asking for more donations and more volunteers. Some are seeing increases in the number of people they serve as checks for those on government assistance don't last nearly as far into the month as they once did because of rising food prices. Some food banks are not able to accept excess foods from national donors because they can't afford the transportation costs to get the food to their facilities. And with gas approaching nearly $4 per gallon, many of the volunteers who deliver meals to the elderly and shut-ins are faced with having to curtail their volunteer work.

Government entities also are facing skyrocketing gas and food costs. In Webb County, officials are looking for ways to restrict the use of county vehicles, from carpooling to meetings and conferences, to consolidating trips from rural areas to the Laredo area, to limiting the use of county vehicles to county business only, requiring employees to use their own vehicles to get to and from work. Just this week, departments within the county collectively sought more than $950,000 in transfers to put more money into their fuel accounts. Some talk is also being given to possibly using bio-diesel or compressed natural gas as an alternative to gasoline.

School districts throughout Texas are dealing with similar problems in keeping their buses filled up. Some districts have instructed their bus drivers not to sit with their bus idling. There are reports of shorter field trips, and even charges per rider for field trips to help cover gas costs.

The numbers are big. In the Dallas school district, gasoline prices are expected to top $20 million next year, up from $16.7 million this year. Many of the school buses on roads today get single digit gas mileage. The Texas Railroad Commission is pushing districts to opt for propane-powered buses when they buy new additions to their fleet and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality offers grant programs to offset some of the costs. Some districts also are opting for more aerodynamically designed buses that will help save fuel costs.

Diesel gasoline that powers most of the trucks transporting food to public schools is already more than $4 per gallon. Those increased costs have resulted in some schools upping the costs of student lunches. Some increases may be as small as five cents per meal, while others looking at food price increases of up to 10 percent could charge more.

Analysts predict that $4 per gallon gasoline is likely to be the norm in Texas and across the country soon after the Memorial Day holiday.