People Staying Close to Home This 4th of July Weekend

As the July 4^th weekend comes upon us, it’s time to decide how you will spend your holiday weekend. Will you stay at home or will you travel to be with family or go on some kind of vacation?

The National average gas price is $2.78 which is 88 cents down from last year at this time and is the lowest price in 5 years. According to AAA, they project nearly 42 million Americans will travel for the July 4^th holiday which is the biggest amount since 2007. With gas prices as low as they are compared to the last few years, this statistic isn’t surprising. But with all these facts, people in the area for the most part aren’t travelling for the holiday.

In interviewing people at the Schuylkill Mall in Frackville and the Fairlane Village Mall in Pottsville, we found that the majority of the area would stay in Schuylkill County. They said they would partake in activities like lighting off fireworks, barbequing, swimming, or even just watch patriotic movies like Independence Day.

When asked why they wouldn’t be traveling, people feel like gas prices were still too high or they didn’t feel like going through the hassle of making arrangements to stay at hotel when they could stay at home and save money. This is a good way of thinking because even though gas prices are dropping, hotel costs are on the rise with prices that are 5-10% higher than last year according to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index.

So no matter if you’re staying in Schuylkill County or leaving the area for the weekend, have a great July 4^th holiday. If you’re consuming alcohol, do it responsibly and don’t drink and drive.