Utahns, like many other Westerners staying home for holidays

WEST VALLEY CITY — About every other Christmas, Mike Byczkowski and his family visit relatives in New Jersey or North Carolina.

This year, however, the family will celebrate the holidays at home in Utah, Byczkowski said Tuesday at Valley Fair Mall.

Byczkowski lost his banking job nearly a year ago, and he doesn't want to spend money on travel unless it's absolutely necessary — as it was earlier this month when he flew to North Carolina to visit his dying father, who has cancer.

Byczkowski spent about three weeks with family.

"It was good because I got to see my sisters and aunts and uncles," he said.

Byczkowski is among thousands of Westerners who have chosen to not travel for Christmas.

A recent survey by AAA found that 8.1 percent fewer people who live in the Mountain West — Nevada, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming and Montana — will travel by air this Christmas compared with last year, and 4.4 percent fewer people will travel in their cars. About 7.3 million people will travel in the Mountain West.

"Anyone looking for a reason as to why the Mountain West region continues to show decreasing travel numbers simply needs to look at the unemployment figures," said AAA Utah spokeswoman Rolayne Fairclough. "The Mountain West region is made up of states that were at the forefront of the housing boom, and have been affected by the bust more so than other areas. Without disposable income, travel plans are one of the first things to go from a family's budget."

In November, the state's unemployment rate was 6.3 percent.

Nationally, AAA expects 87.7 million people to travel between today and Jan. 3, up 3.8 percent from a year ago.

Travel in the West is different from other parts of the United States because cities are farther apart. For instance, about 215 miles separate Boston and New York City. Salt Lake City and Denver, however, are about 530 miles apart.

Traveling longer distances costs more, although travelers in the West are thrifty, telling AAA they would spend on average $830 on transportation, food, accommodations, shopping and entertainment. The national average is $1,009.