Your Summer Road Trip Just Got a Lot More Expensive

If you’ve already been tapping on Google Maps to chart your epic summer road trip, you might also want to run the numbers through a gas price calculator to figure out how much it will cost. With fuel prices steadily rising this spring and expected to be as much as 70 cents more per gallon than last year, chances are you’ll be spending about a third more money to fill up your tank.

Gas prices are the highest they've been since 2014 and are expected to hit $2.91 a gallon by Memorial Day, according to the American Automobile Association. Drivers in Hawaii, California, and Washington, are paying the most, followed by Alaska, Nevada, and Oregon.

“We knew gas prices would be a more expensive this year but are a little shocked with how expensive they were,” said AAA spokesperson Jeanette Casselano.

U.S. drivers have gotten used to relatively low gas prices in recent years due to an oversupply of oil—there’s been such a glut that companies have been forced to turn ships into floating oil storage units, said Denton Cinquegrana, chief oil analyst for the Oil Price Information Service.

Prices dropped below $2.50 a gallon for regular gas in 2015, with 2016 having some of the lowest gas prices in years.

But now Russia and Saudi Arabia, two of the world’s largest producers, are cutting back oil production in an effort to increase prices, NPR reports. Reduced production in Venezuela and sluggish output in Angola have also put pressure on demand.

There are ways to ease the pain of rising gas prices. Here are some smart hacks:

• Know when and where gas prices are cheaper overall. You can often find cheaper gas just across the state line. For example, Gas Buddy reports you’ll pay 88 cents less to fill up in Jersey City, New Jersey, than in Manhattan, New York. As for when to fill up your tank? Sundays and Mondays are best.

• If you're renting a car, choose one with the best fuel economy. Be careful of the "free upgrades" car rental services often offer when they run out of economy vehicles. While the price for the car may be the same, you may get stuck with a much higher fuel cost. You can check mileage on your phone before selecting a model off the lot or use the AAA trip cost calculator, which lets you enter the make, model and year of car you'll be driving.
• Use an app to compare prices on the fly. Both AAA and Gas Buddy can help drivers identify where gas is least expensive.
• Don’t drive like an asshole. You may be anxious to get to your destination but speeding up and slamming on the brakes can cost you—about $477 more a year, according to Gas Buddy.

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