Holiday travel on par with 2006

Traveling this weekend for Christmas?

Watch the weather.

It's predicted that parts of northern and central Utah will see inches of snow, with small storms projected to hit today, Saturday, Sunday and late Christmas Eve. Snowplow crews with the Utah Department of Transportation are already preparing to clear state roads, according to agency officials.

"We've got a very active (weather) pattern right now," said Mike Conger, forecaster with the National Weather Service's Salt Lake City office. "Get your travel plans in early."

AAA of Utah estimates that more than 625,000 Utahns will travel 50 miles or more this Christmas and New Year's holidays, with 81 percent projected to travel by car or another motor vehicle.

That's about a 0.2 percent increase over last year, according to the travel company, which did a national telephone survey of 2,200 adults to figure the travel statistics.

"Unprecedented high gas prices and an upsurge in travel expenses are definitely having an impact on holiday travel," said Rolayne Fairclough, spokeswoman for AAA of Utah in a statement.

The average cost of regular, unleaded gasoline in Utah Thursday was $3.05 per gallon. Last year, the average price for a gallon of gas was $2.28.

In terms of the cost to fly, AAA estimates a 16

percent increase over last year for the average price of an airline ticket the week of Christmas. Ticket prices for the week of New Year's are up about 9 percent, AAA said. And with hotels, prices have increased as high as 9 percent over last year, the travel company said.

"Utahns can expect prices to be well above last year's levels, whether you are driving or flying," Fairclough said.

Despite the increased gas and airline prices, international travel also remains a popular choice for holiday travelers. Some 1.2 million people are expected to visit Mexico from the United States, says Mario Perez of the Los Angeles Mexican consulate's paisano program, and some 200,000 vehicles are expected to cross the Mexican border from October through January.

Last year, the Salt Lake International Airport reports that some 20,344 people left on flights for other countries in December, which was the airport's biggest international travel month of the year.