CONSUMERS LEARN TO ADJUST
That issue is moot for Sue Ratliff,
an at-home agent who operates Sea
the World Cruises and Tours from
her home in Tyler, Texas.
Ratliff commuted 40 minutes each
way from her previous home to her
former job at an agency in McAllen,
Texas.
When her husband retired last
year, the couple moved to Tyler. She
became an independent contractor, affiliated with America’s Vacation Center, and began operating her
agency from home, with the help of
her husband.
“We were spending $300 a month
on gasoline when I quit … it was at
$1.25 a gallon … and now we get
up in the morning and are already
at work, overlooking the pine trees
of East Texas. I don’t spend any time
on the road. We’d be spending more
than $400 a month on gasoline now.
[Working from home] is a win-win
situation for us.”
There may be some evidence that,
while consumers complain about
high gasoline prices, they adjust their
budgets and, after consideration,
don’t let the higher prices affect their
vacation plans significantly, said Sean
Comey, spokesman for AAA Northern California, a region where gas
prices are among the highest in the
country.
“People place a high value on leisure travel, and while some of the
costs associated with vacations have
increased, and they may be changing
their strategies, they are still going to
take a vacation.
“Look at overall expenditure for
a relatively modest vacation, like a
weekend trip. When you add the fuel
component, it’s a lot less than what
people think when they are filling
their tanks.
“Gas prices have doubled since
2000, but that may mean spending
an extra $30 on a weekend trip. Is
that really a reason to pull the plug
on a vacation?”
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