Every pull on the gas pump is a squeeze out of the summer vacation budget.

“I’m probably going to Louisiana. I wish I was going to California,” Brenda Hayes of Port Arthur said, and threw her head back for a good laugh at the situation.

If Bobbie Dugas decides to stay within 300 miles, she’ll drive. If she goes farther she’ll fly, and she’s prepared to pay extra for tickets.

“If I’m driving, it won’t affect me,” the area real estate agent said.

She said high gas prices have brought her business. Mid-County refinery workers living as far away as Lumberton have been seeking housing closer to work to save dollars on their commute, she said.

Associated Press reported that on Wednesday, gas prices rose more than 2 cents overnight to a national average of $3.53 a gallon, a new record of $3.533, according to the Oil Price Information Service. Gas also reached new records in the futures market after an Energy Department report raised new questions about fuel supplies.

Diesel, the fuel used by trains and ships that carry travelers to their chosen destination, rose to its own new record of $4.214 a gallon.

The story reports that gasoline inventories fell by 3.2 million barrels this past week, about a million barrels more than expected. Gas supplies have been falling lately, raising concerns about fuel supply levels as peak summer driving season approaches.

This has Americans planning how far they will travel for fun. “Getting there” money is now cutting into money for supplies, food, tickets and souvenirs.

Close to home

Tammy Kotzur, director of the Port Arthur Convention & Visitor Bureau, promotes travel to Port Arthur, but also helps those who live here find fun in their own back yard.

“We haven’t had a lot of phone calls about the high gas prices. People are looking for closer things to do, like go to Houston for the weekend,” Kotzur said. “We’ve got a lot of nature stuff and a lot of neat stuff in this area that people don’t always think of.”

Fishing, religious shrines, the recently-opened Shangri La Botanical Gardens in Orange and area museums are on that list, as is Sea Rim State Park, which isn’t quite ready to reopen after Hurricane Rita destruction in 2005. Kotzur said travel representatives are anxiously awaiting the park’s opening.

“A large number of tourists like to go to the beach for the board walk and air boat tour … that type of thing,” she said.