Low gas prices + these hotel deals = cheap Memorial Day vacation!

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Remember when gas prices hit a national average of $4.11 a gallon in the summer of 2008?

Well, don’t worry…we won’t be paying anywhere near that much at the pump this Memorial Day weekend!

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Cheap gas prices prompt more road trips this summer

Gas prices Memorial Day weekend

Prices at the pump for the upcoming holiday are projected to be the lowest for Memorial Day weekend since 2005, according to an analysis from GasBuddy.com.

As of this writing, the national average for a gallon of gas is $2.28, according to AAA’s Daily Fuel Gauge Report. GasBuddy says that’s expected to bump up one cent to $2.29 over the holiday weekend.

Back in 2005, the price was $2.10 on average, according to AAA. Ever year after that, it was $2.41 or higher.

So if you’re thinking about taking a road trip for Memorial Day weekend, you’re certainly not alone.

There’s a 2.2% increase in people planning to travel this summer because of the low prices.

Of those who do travel, the vast majority — 79% to be exact — will drive. Only 11% of summer travel this year will involve a plane ride, according to GasBuddy. 

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‘Motorists will be filling up their tanks with the cheapest summer gasoline since 2005 and we are finding that more people than ever will be taking advantage by hitting the road,’ said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy.’

‘As we kick off driving season, gas prices will be nearly a dollar per gallon lower than the ten year Memorial Day average of $3.15 per gallon. The incredible part is nationally, we’ll be saving $2.6 billion over the long weekend versus the highest-priced Memorial Day weekend in 2011 at $3.78 per gallon.’ 

So what are you waiting for? Get ready to hit the open road!

Tips to save you money on last-minute hotels

If you’re far from an advanced planner, a couple of free apps could save you up to 35% on same day hotel bookings.

Tonight-Only Deals is part of the free Priceline Negotiator app. Unlike the normal Priceline thing, you know the name of the hotel before you book with Tonight-Only Deals. The app simply helps deliver what Priceline says will be up to 35% savings at the last minute.

Another app that offers similar last-minute booking deals is called HotelTonight. Again, you’ll know the name of the place where you’re going to stay. Just one word of advice: Visit TripAdvisor.com to check out the hotels you’re offered before you say ‘yes.’

Here’s another way to save: When somebody’s holiday plans fall through and it turns out they can’t use the non-refundable hotel room they booked, there’s a way for you to step in and help that person and the hotel.

That’s because there’s a secondary marketplace for the resale of non-refundable hotel rooms. RoomerTravel and Cancelon are two of the big players in this field.

For a buyer, these services are completely FREE to use. You get to buy an existing reservation that somebody else can’t use at a discount of up to 45% off.

Sellers, meanwhile, pay a 10% to 15% charge to unload a room they’ve paid for but can’t use on these services. But at least they get something instead of nothing!

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