Gasoline prices are averaging close to $3 per gallon in some U.S. cities, higher than Americans are used to at this time of year. But that alone is improbable to keep millions of Americans from drumming the roads this summer, says Mike Pina of the American Automobile Association

"People always say in surveys that they are not going to travel because of high gas prices, but te truth is, cars are the least expensive way for people to get where they want."

Pina says Americans are often eager to absorb higher fuel prices and related costs at this time of year because summer holiday journey is so deeply ingrained in American life. "What we notice is that people will continue their vacations but they are going to spend less money in hotels and they are going to be eating in cheaper restaurants. Some say they will still travel … but stay closer to home."