BALTIMORE — Gas prices may impact where you go and what you do, especially with Memorial Day, and then summer approach.
Prices at the gas pump continue to soar, which hit another record high in Maryland Monday.
Many drivers were shocked to see gas prices rise 15 cents higher.
We had the price increase already, then a little tax break from the legislature and that went away, now it jumped back up.
“At the end of the day, the price that motorist see at the pump is driven by the price of crude oil which makes up more than 50% of the gasoline," said Regina Ali, from AAA Mid-Atlantic.
Crude oil was just under $110 a barrel Friday.
Gas is averaging $4.40 a gallon, 14 cents more than this time last week.
“My fuel prices rise from 1,000 a week to about 2,000 a week,” said Billy Snyder, a farmer on the Eastern Shore.
Snyder said the cost to run his tractors and machines have double and tripled.
The only way to offset those gas price increase is to double or triple the price of his produce, but, that's something he won't do.
“That's not fair to the public,” Snyder said.
Snyder tries to plant more locally and not rely as much on produce down south that has to be shipped up here.
Now that many of us are over the original sticker shock of gas prices, it's time to start planning our summer vacations.
Drivers say say those gas prices directly affect what they do.
“I mean we drive south, go to the beach and all those things,” driver Mike Turner said.
Turner, his wife and two kids love the beaches down south, but with gas prices and the cost of everything else going on, that's going to have to change.
“Closer, you know, maybe we can go, instead of going to South Carolina we can go to Ocean City,” Turner said.
Now that we all have to get a little creative in our spending, exploring the areas that are closer may turn out to be a great option.
“Whether that includes going to national parks, zoos, aquarium, things with nature, there are certainly things one can do that is certainly less expensive depending on your budget,” Ali said.
So for now, we tighten our seat belts and see where the gas prices will take us.
Snyder’s vacation plans mirrors what a lot of us will be doing this summer.
“As far as the long trips go, we're gonna have to pump her brakes on that,” Turner said.
