Airfares may be low right now, but it seems like the cost of everything else is going up. Some recent news we've collected that's sure to put a dent in your pocketbook:
New York taxi fares are going up by about 25% on May 1. The flat rate for trips from JFK airport to Manhattan jumps to $45 from $35 -- and that doesn't include tolls or the standard 20% tip, so you'll end up dropping about $57 on a cab.
On ordinary trips, the initial rate jumps to $2.50 from $2, and increments of one-fifth of a mile (about 4 north-south blocks) has gone up to 50¢ from 40¢. That means the price for the average ride from Greenwich Village to Midtown increases from $5 to $6.50.
Our solution: The subway is still the best way to get around New York. Single rides cost $2 (or six for $10), one-day passes cost $7, and weeklong passes cost $21. From JFK, think about the $7/person AirTrain/subway combination or the $13 New York Airport Service express bus to midtown.
Boston's MBTA just increased subway fares from $1 to $1.25. In Washington, D.C., Metro fares for short trips are expected to go up to $1.35 this summer.
Our solution: Both of these transit systems are still bargains. Washington's one-day Metro pass is expensive at $6, but if you're in DC for a week, pick up a 7-day short-trip pass for $20.
London taxi fares have just gone up, too, by between three and six percent. A ride from Heathrow to central London will now cost £49.60 ($90.77), and a half-mile ride at night will cost £3.20 ($5.86).
Our solution: Only moguls can afford London black cabs nowadays. From the airport, take the Tube or train. Around London, use the city's excellent Tube and bus systems. Late at night, have a barkeep or hotel concierge call a reliable "minicab" company -- these car services cost less than black cabs and announce their prices in advance, so you'll know if you have the dough.
Las Vegas was planning to introduce a monorail to help with the awful traffic on the Strip, but the system's opening has now been delayed until the summer. That traps conventioneers in long, long cab lines (and paying high cab fares) at the Las Vegas Convention Center.
Our solution: Leisure travelers on a budget should remember the #301 and #302 Strip buses, which cost only $2 and run all day and night. Conventioneers should hit the taxi lines at the south end of the convention center or by Piero's restaurant, which are shorter than the main convention center taxi line.
We saved the biggest bugaboo for last: Gas prices are at an all-time high, according to the American Automobile Association. The national average price for a gallon of regular unleaded is $1.75; a gallon of premium runs $1.93. According to GasPriceWatch.com (www.gaspricewatch.com), residents of San Francisco are now paying $2.39 per gallon. The federal Energy Department said last Wednesday to expect prices to rise further during the spring and summer.
You can still scheme to find the cheapest gas around. If you're driving from California to Arizona, for instance, you can save an average of 21¢ per gallon by filling up in Arizona, according to the AAA (https://198.6.95.31/sbsavg.asp). Click on a state, then on "View Metro Areas" to see gas prices for all the major cities in the state you're traveling to, so you can scheme where to fill up.
Get even more precise at GasPriceWatch(www.gasbuddy.com)and GasBuddy (www.gasbuddy.com), collections of volunteer Web sites where people track gas prices within their cities. When we checked several cities, GasBuddy had a wider list of individual filling stations. If you're filling up in Tucson, for instance, you can save 17¢ per gallon by skipping the Chevron station at Oracle and Prince and filling up instead at the Frys at Grant and Alvernon, according to GasBuddy.
You can also use the AAA's Fuel Cost Calculator (www.fuelcostcalculator.com) to figure out gas costs for a trip you plan to take. A drive from Dallas to New Orleans in a 2002 Ford Explorer, for instance, will run you around $45 each way in gas. If you're driving a fuel-sipping 2004 Toyota Prius, you'll pay a mere $16.68 each way.
Our take: US gas prices are still the lowest in the industrialized world, and driving is still cheap -- load four people into that Ford Explorer from Dallas-New Orleans, and you're paying $22.50 per person, roundtrip. Try beating that with any other means of transportation.
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