Lee Foster (fostertravel.com)

Gas Prices and Travel

I doubt that we comprehend at all the vast implications of much higher gas prices on travel.

When an American family begins to realize that a gallon of gas costs $4, and that the car might get 20 mpg, costing 20 cents a mile for gas alone, meaning $1 for every five miles the car is driven, then I think there will be less driving.  One wonders how long and how far the rubber tire travel scene will persist.

The gap between the haves/have mores and the have nots will continue to grow.  Travel will become only a vicarious and virtual experience for most of the have nots. 

One wonders how the long haul and long flight destinations will do, such as Hawaii.  With Aloha and ATA dropping into bankruptcy, there will be fewer flights going to Hawaii, and prices will probably rise.  Gas costs will also raise the fares.  At what point will the consumer simply drop out of purchasing the product?

This past month I went to two travel public relations meetings in which the promoters remained bullish.  I went to Maui HI and CA Tourism meetings in San Francisco.  Maui remains confident.  CA tourism overall is thriving.  But how long will this optimism last?

The rising gas prices will affect every aspect of the travel product that a consumer experiences.  For example, the restaurant that wants to bring in the local boutique goat cheese for its menu now will be paying more for transportation.  Every commodity that becomes part of the travel experience will have a higher energy cost.

One wonders if the golden age of travel in behind us, and the more strained era of ever more restricted travel is before us.

Travel and Hunger

The world will be a slightly edgier place this year for people who travel abroad.

There is an invisible stress on the faces of everyone.

The issue is world food prices, up perhaps 40% in the last year.  Some analysts put the figure higher, perhaps 55%.  The figures are for basics, such as grain, dairy, and cooking oil.

People are rioting, from Egypt to Haiti.  In other places the level of resentment, basic insecurity, and fear grows higher.

The factors behind the increase in food prices are difficult to control.

First, more basic grains are going into energy production, rather than food.  This is true of corn.

Second, it is said that the wealthy of India now want to eat meat, not grain, so a larger part of the huge grain production there is being diverted to meat production.

Third, transportation costs are rising, affecting all food prices, especially if the distribution chain is long distance and much freight is required.

And fourth, there are some climate changes that are adversely affecting former patterns of food production, especially drought where there has rarely been drought before.

There are few indicators that the situation will get better.  Probably it will get worse.  People are stressed in the wealthy countries, such as the US, about rising food prices.  Image the countries where the average person is getting by on $2/day.

The outlook is grim.  Many travelers will glimpse it, especially those wandering in the Third World.

The Challenges of Kenya Travel

The ongoing tribal struggles in Kenya have had a devastating effect on Kenyans and on potential world travelers because safari travel has slowed.  One can only hope that the situation will improve.

I went in today and touched up my major Kenya coverage, titled Kenya's Wildlife Heritage, which may be the longest and most thorough of all my 200 worldwide coverages on my website.

Travel to Kenya to see the magnificent wildlife was one of the the major and most satisfying  experiences in my entire life of travel.  Take a look at the article.

I touched up the article to put in more warnings: when tribal struggles rise, safari travel needs to be postponed until it is safe.

However, when a major tour operator says it is safe, do go.  They tend to know their business and headlines in the news may not reflect the safari experience in the field

It is said that about five million Kenyans depend on safari visitors for their livelihoods.  The safari visitor can postpone a visit, but the local Kenyan will starve, meanwhile.

Suppressing tribal and ethnic passions has been one of the great achievements of modern Kenya.  However, when those passions erupt, it is a tragic day for all parties.