Holiday travel is in full force this week as many people hit the roads to gather with family and friends for Thanksgiving.
If you are traveling by car, according to AAA, San Luis Obispo County is seeing a slight decrease in gas prices this year compared to what consumers were paying last year during the Thanksgiving holiday.
On November 20, 2023, AAA reported that the current average for a regular gallon of gas in San Luis Obispo County is $5.23.
Last year, consumers in the area were paying 38 cents more, with an average of $5.61.
Last year, consumers in the area were paying 38 cents more, with an average of $5.61.
However, with many factors coming into play this week, such as purchasing produce for Thanksgiving feasts and Black Friday shopping, some say that they are managing their expenses ahead of the holiday.
“I will say, things have gotten easier in Paso Robles, especially. Gas has gone down,” said Marcus Godfrey, Paso Robles resident. “It’s $4.57 at the ARCO on Niblick and it has actually allowed us to get more food and actually budget a little better for Black Friday.”
"Everything's tighter but you do what you have to do and you always put your family first and the finances will come later,” said Ryan Kirker, San Luis Obispo resident.
Travel experts with AAA recommend drivers plan ahead to help save money, not just for the holiday but on everyday expenses as well. That includes completing multiple errands in one trip and avoiding high-traffic times throughout the day.
“You just group all your errands together and try to minimize the amount of trips that you take out,” Kirker said.
“I just kind of do things spur of the moment without thinking about them but at the same time I’ll like almost shop ahead where I’m putting, I use the Target app a lot where I’m adding things to my cart and eventually when it’s at a good amount, then I’ll go and pick it up,” said Xavier Carmona, Cal Poly student.
AAA says it's also important to ensure your tires are properly inflated before traveling to your holiday destination. Underinflation reduces fuel economy.
“I definitely make sure cause I know I probably have like low tires right now and I’m actually about to go on a trip so I’m going to double-check and hopefully I don’t have a flat or anything,” said Kamren Brown, San Luis Obispo resident.
One woman traveling from Santa Rosa and headed to Southern California this week says gas can still be quite expensive.
"If you're going to go to SoCal from NorCal or vice versa, it's going to cost you a lot of money on gas, that's just the size of it, and I don't want to fly to Los Angeles because it's pretty expensive too,” said Anne Sullivan, Santa Rosa resident.
Another money-saving tip AAA recommends is avoiding extended idling to warm up the engine of your car, even in the winter season. They say it’s unnecessary and wastes fuel.
AAA recommends downloading the AAA mobile app to find out which gas stations have the lowest prices in your area.
