What some locals have planned

BOISE -- For one very obvious reason, more Americans will be celebrating the Fourth of July at home this year.

According to AAA, higher gas prices and a weak economy are taking the fireworks out of the normally busy holiday.

AAA spokesman Dave Carlson says even though many travelers will be taking advantage of the three-day weekend, there will be fewer of them in the skies and on the roads this year.

Instead of taking to the skies, many travelers like Marv Askey are choosing to hit the road and stay closer to home this holiday weekend.

"Plan to go to McCall with my family and look forward to enjoying my grandchildren and friends," said Askey.

But there is one thing Marv is not looking forward to this Fourth of July.  He says gas prices are making him rethink his travel plans.

"We might be more thoughtful about carpooling.  We might just try to manage that a little better.  It's a burden on everybody for sure," said Askey.

Carlson says over 178,000 Idahoans are expected to take to the roads this weekend – that’s about 4,000 less than one year ago.

He adds this is the first time in a decade we've seen a decline in travel over the busy holiday.

"People I think are opting for the shorter trips. And they're doing all the things we would expect with a tighter wallet," said Carlson.  "Every year the traditional news from AAA is that more people will travel.  This is the one year that we're saying fewer people are gonna travel."  

Air travel is also expected to drop due to higher fares and more fees for things like checked baggage.

Just last week Lisa Sullivan had to cancel her trip to Hawaii because it was simply becoming too expensive. 

"We were supposed to fly to Maui and be there for a week.  I had a condo, which is rare to even get on Maui for a week," said Sullivan.

Like so many other Americans, she says she's trading in her red hot plans for the Fourth of July.

"Stay home, barbecue, bought my son some fireworks," said Sullivan.

Carlson notes that the average price for a gallon of gas in Idaho is up $1 from a year ago.

He also says travelers should be looking for bargains such as car rental discounts, family hotel rates and food promotions.