ORANGE, Texas — Travelers said what they describe as astronomically high gas prices are causing them to stress during what should be a week of relaxation.
Many people who traveled to Texas were flabbergasted to see fuel prices leaning towards $5 a gallon.
"Gas prices are killing us man,” Jason Vanduzee, traveler, said. “We really need them to go back down."
Vanduzee commutes back and forth from Lafayette to Corpus Christi for work. On his most recent trip, he decided to drive a smaller vehicle in an attempt to save money on gas.
“With these high gas prices, I decided to take the Mustang instead of the truck,” Vanduzee said. “I mean, it's a lot better on gas, fuel mileage."
Vanduzee describes the gas prices he saw on his Sunday drive as unbelievable.
"At home, it was $4.09 when I filled up,” Vanduzee said. “I've noticed on the way coming down it's got up to $4.30 in some of the prices in Louisiana."
Many travelers shared Vanduzee's unbelief. Some drivers said they are spending $1.50 more per gallon on gas. One Texas native said the $4 per gallon he spent on gas in Lake Charles was a huge difference from he is used to spending.
"Amazing, just a few weeks ago it was $2.50,” Van Glynn, traveler, said.
Glynn said he drives down Interstate 10 frequently to visit his friends. However, the prices he has seen at the pumps lately have him reconsidering his travel plans.
“Well, it might encourage me to stay home a little bit more. I drive a big pickup and gas mileage is not as good as it might could be,” Glynn said.
Analyst said the recent spike in fuel costs can be tied to the ongoing situation in Ukraine. Big and small businesses across the world are refusing to do business with Russia.
"Make no mistake much of what we're seeing here is because of sanctions on Russia," Patrick De Hann, GasBuddy analyst, said.
Because De Haan, believes the high prices could be seen throughout the summer, he shared tips with drivers on what they can to improve their fuel efficiency.
"Avoid higher speeds than 75. That's really where the wind gobbles up a lot of that fuel energy," De Haan said. "Go out and check your tire pressure."
Drivers said pain being felt at the pumps is real and many are worried about what they will have to do to keep up with price increases.
"It's just getting worse and worse," Vanduzee said. "I mean, now, we need salaries to go up with it right!"
Some travelers said gas prices are so high that it would have been cheaper for them to fly instead of drive from Houston to New Orleans. Thoughts such as these have drivers worried about what the future will hold if fuel costs do not begin to decline soon.
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