I decided that I am going to set a six dollar a gallon limit on how much I am willing to pay for fuel for a potential summer vacation out to Upper Peninsula Michigan.
I figure that if I average 15 MPG on SuperDuty during the trip (which is reasonable as a lot of it will be highway, and flat highway in Midwest), that means that if I end up driving 1,500 miles it will use 100 gallons of gasoline. At six dollars a gallon, that works out to $600.
Not sure if gas will be that expensive by August when I most likely will be ready to take the trip, but that still provides $400 for tolls, food and miscellaneous expenses while keeping my budget under $1,000. It’s possible I will stay a night or two at state or federal campgrounds, though that’s hardly a desired outcome except maybe for taking a hot shower. If I plan the trip for 10 days, that works out to $100 a day. It’s possible I will get a bite along the way to eat, but I much prefer to eat healthy and just buy ordinary food I normally do and cook along the way.
Who knows if gas prices will be as high as $6 a gallon by the second half of summer. While some analysis are calling for elevated gas prices to stick around for a long time, a recession or peace in the Middle East could lead to dramatic drops in gas prices in the meantime. Of course, shortages of fuel or other supplies, could be a bigger threat to this the great Midwest trip. I do want to get the oil changed on SuperDuty before heading out, as it will be first change of the break-in oil since I got the truck from the factory. And who knows what else that is essential for travel could be broken by summer.
At a certain point, even if things are going to be expensive, you just got to suck it up and enjoy life. May fuel prices will be cheaper next year, but who knows if I’ll be as free to travel or if now is the time to do it before time is too late.
