Looking to get more of a bang for your vacation buck? A recent vacation costs survey says it's time to check out Nebraska, which received the nation's top ranking as the most economical destination for travel.

BY JONNIE TATE' FINN | Lincoln Journal Star

Kitra Deger dishes out about $30 when she fills up her minivan's gas tank these days.

"I try to consolidate trips into town now to help save on gas," said Deger, who lives near Eagle. "Gas prices are just really high."

Her family travels quite a bit in their vehicle, Deger said, but they don't have any road trips planned this summer. Instead, the family will work on home projects. Other families could be taking the same route in the face of high gas prices.

In Nebraska's metro areas, unleaded gas averaged $2.20 per gallon Wednesday. It averaged about $2.26 in Lincoln.

But pump prices aren't expected to keep people from traveling this summer, said Rose A. White, Nebraska AAA's public affairs director.

In fact, the trend over the past couple of years has been prices that spike during the winter and spring and fall gradually in the summer.

"We've been seeing increases in summer travel and expect this to be another banner year," White said. "People want time to reconnect with their families and get away from their cell phones."

And what better place for people to connect than Nebraska, which received the nation's top ranking as the most economical destination for travel, according to AAA's vacation costs survey.

The survey found the average family of four would spend $184 per day for food and lodging in Nebraska. The national average is $247.

The survey is good news for the state's attractions, said Mary Ethel Emanuel, public relations director for the state Division of Travel and Tourism.

And though gas prices are high, Emanuel doesn't predict tourism numbers to decline this summer.

She said people who travel to Nebraska don't drive two weeks to get here. Tourists come from surrounding states.

According to the Travel Industry Association of America, most travelers use their cars when vacationing. Spokeswoman Cathy Keefe said for the past few summers, 80 percent to 85 percent of vacationers traveled by vehicle.

"Gas prices overall impact a family's budget, and not necessarily their vacations," White said.

During gasoline spikes, Keefe said, people who normally would have traveled farther for their vacation end up staying closer to home.

That would be a good thing for Nebraska, Emanuel said.

"The trend now is to take shorter, but more frequent, driving vacations," Emanuel said. "People like Nebraska — it's a state that's on the cusp of being discovered by people looking for a new experience beyond Disney World."

Reach Jonnie Taté Finn at 473-7395 or tfinn@journalstar.com.

2004 travel and tourism

* Tourism is Nebraska's third largest earner of revenue from outside the state after agriculture and manufacturing.

* Travelers spent more than $2.9 billion in Nebraska on trips away from home with overnight stays in paid accommodations and on day trips to places 100 miles or more away.

* More than 43,000 jobs are attributable to travel spending in Nebraska.

* Nebraskans and visitors to Nebraska made 19.6 million trips in the state to destinations 100 miles or more away from home.

* The average nonresident traveling party visiting Nebraska by highway during the summer consists of 2.4 people who stay 2.2 nights and spend $380.

Source: Nebraska Division of Travel and Tourism

The cheapest vacations

According to AAA, the average amount a family of four would spend per day on food and lodging:

Nebraska $184.29

North Dakota 184.75

Kansas 185.56

Oklahoma 188.01

Iowa 189.39

And the most expensive:

Hawaii $517.59

District of Columbia 441.48

Rhode Island 307.47

New York 306.90

Massachusetts 302.98

* National average: $247

*For the complete list, go to: www.aaanewsroom.net/files/vacationcosts05.doc