Imagination can help make travel plans affordable

With gas prices in the mid-$3 range, we hope Memorial Day travel prices weren't too much of a shock.

Now that the first holiday of the summer is history, it's time to get serious about vacation travel plans.

According to AAA Nebraska, there won't be any relief in your wallet this year, with average lodging and restaurant costs up 3.7 percent over last year.

It's a simple function of supply and demand, according to Michael Petrone, director of AAA Tourism Information Development. "For both lodgings and restaurants, rising energy costs, as well as salary and benefit costs, are certainly having an impact."

AAA's survey shows that a family of two adults and two children can expect to pay an average of $269 per day for food and lodging. Lodging rates will average $152 a night, up nearly 7.9 percent from last year. Meals will cost $118, down 1.3 percent from 2006.

And if you're headed for what most people consider a prime vacation spot, keep your credit card handy. It will cost you an average of $650 a day to feed and lodge a family of four in Hawaii, $611 in Washington D.C., and $326 in New York.

If you have a limited budget -- and who among us doesn't -- take a serious look at vacationing in Nebraska.

An average daily cost in Nebraska is only $199 for a family of four, and our nearby states are also bargains -- $187 in North Dakota, $201 in Iowa and Kansas, and $204 in South Dakota.

And while we don't have Stonehenge, there's always Carhenge near Alliance. We're far from the Smithsonian Institution, but there's no shortage of museums or in Nebraska, whether our own Museum of the High Plains Historical Society or George W. Norris House in McCook, the Great Platte River Road Archway Monument near Kearney, the Heartland Museum of Military Vehicles at Lexington, Museum of the Fur Trade at Chadron, or even the Stratcom Museum at Ashland, between Omaha and Lincoln.

RoadsideAmerica.com lists oddball, off-the-beaten-path attractions such as the world's largest ball of stamps in Omaha, the UFO water tower in Ogallala, Ole's Big Game Lounge at Paxton, and the Andy the Footless Goose pet cemetery in Hastings.

There's plenty more where those come from; a few minutes in the Internet can yield all sorts of travel possibilities for this summer's time off.

We'd suggest starting at http://visitnebraska.org where searches of attractions, recreation and events, places to stay, day- and multi-day trips can help organize your trip.

With a little imagination, this year's summer vacation can be a fun, yet affordable adventure.