This year's economic slump, combined with travel fears following the Sept. 11 attacks, may be keeping more Nevadans home during the holiday season.
Nevada's arm of the American Automobile Association predicts 386,000 Nevadans will travel 50 miles or more from home for the Christmas holiday. That number represents a 6 percent decline from a year ago.
"Some Nevadans are feeling the pinch of the current economic downturn," said association spokeswoman Lisa Foster. "It's impacting their desire to travel this holiday season."
Eighty-three percent of travelers have said during surveys they plan to take their cars. While last year's proportion of travelers was a much lower 74 percent, the total number of drivers on the road will drop by an expected 3 percent this year.
Sixty-two percent of travelers plan to stay with family or friends, while 23 percent will be sleeping at a hotel or motel, the survey found. The remainder of respondents say they either plan no overnight stays, are undecided, or will be using alternative lodging such as recreational vehicles.
Nearly 66,000 Nevadans will travel by airplane, train or bus, down 20 percent from last year.
Carson City travel agent Rupal Wadhia-Martinez said since Sept. 11, travelers have been reticent to take back to the skies. At Discount Travel Shop Design Travel, bookings dropped 40 percent in the months following the attacks.
"It has been very up and down," she said. "One minute they want to travel and the next minute they don't."
While fewer people will leave the area, especially by air, the saving grace for her industry is a jump in reservations for spring vacations.
"People were waiting for rates to go down, but it never happened -- the airlines cut services instead," Wadhia-Martinez said. "But next year is looking busy, busier than we would have expected."
The association found that long-distance travelers are turning out for destinations like Hawaii, which is nearly sold out, Mexico, the Caribbean and Disneyland. Nationally, the survey found that 53.7 million Americans expect to travel, down from last year's mark of 57.1 million. The expected number of travelers this year is a far cry from the record of 62.6 million set in 1998.
"Although many will be driving to their destinations, the roads and highways will be less congested than most other high-travel holidays," Foster said. "This travel period is spread out."
Remarkably low gas prices may be a strong motivator for some of this year's holiday travel. Nevada's average price per gallon of unleaded gas is $1.18, California is averaging $1.20, while the national average is $1.08.