Utahns keep truckin' despite price of gas

Steve Lindburg, general manager of the Salt Lake City Center Hilton, who has seen an increase in stays, said people are not ready to give up a vacation.

"I really believe people cherish their family and vacation time. . . . It's almost like it's an American right to have a family vacation."

Utahns are working more hours and are accessible via Blackberries and laptops, and "we just need that ability to get away with our families," said von der Esch.

The new look of vacations is not just due to the rising price of gas. The American vacation has been changing for the past 20 or 30 years. Now travelers go on long weekend getaways rather than the one- to two-week family vacations. The average vacation is four days, said Cathy Keefe, spokeswoman for the Travel Industry Association.

But vacations will never disappear, even if Americans need to take out a loan to take one, she said.

"We view it as a birthright. It doesn't matter if we have to finance it," Keefe said.

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