Staycation

     Have you heard of this new word?  I hadn’t until I received a newsletter that discussed the trend to stay closer to home due to the high cost of gas.  Instead of traveling across the country for vacation people are sticking closer to home, a staycation I guess.  There are a number of Minnesota residents who haven’t visited the BWCA yet so we’re hoping they will opt for a staycation with Voyageur this summer.  We’re also hoping guests from farther away will continue to come visit us so we’re giving everyone some ideas on how to save money and the environment when traveling this summer.

• Observe the speed limit.  Gas mileage normally decreases rapidly above 60 mph; as a rule, each 5 mph over 60 adds 20 cents per gallon to your gas costs.
• In the summer, fill your gas tank in the morning or evening, when it’s cooler.  This reduces the amount of harmful vapors and volatile organic compounds(VOC’s) released into the air.  VOC’s contribute to ground-level ozone or smog.
• Accelerate gradually.  Jackrabbit starts use 50 percent more gasoline than smooth gradual starts.
• Keep your tires at the correct pressure.  Underinflated tires can reduce your gas mileage by three percent(wasting about 9 cents per gallon).
• Keep your car in tune.  An out-of-tune engine can waste around 12 cents per gallon of gas, much more if you drive with a major maintenance problem.
• Idling your vehicle gives you zero miles per gallon. 
• If you carpool or telecommute one day a week, you’ll cut your weekly commute by 20 percent.  Just think of cutting your gas bill-and emissions-by one-fifth!
• Cut the number of miles you drive by combining errands.  A 2nd benefit of linking one errand after another is the engine remains warm and thus operates more fuel-efficiently thatn it does with cold starts. 
• From Mark Sulzbach

     If you follow all of these guidelines then you’ll save enough money in gas to be able to drive twice as far for vacation and you’ll save the environment at the same time.