How some Texans are re-engineering their plans as gas prices soar; adapting and surviving in an outrageous gas price environment.

Some are walking, bicycling to and from work, others are changing vacation destinations:

Brian Ballard: Bicycling to work

A year ago Brian Ballard started shifting his commute from a 2000 Dodge Ram pickup to his bicycle. He still drives to his electrical engineering job at Texas Instruments if the weather is bad. When it's nice, he cycles the 33-mile round trip. Sometimes he bikes to the DART station and hops on the train.

Mr. Ballard, 23, said he saves about $100 a month on gasoline, and parking the truck helps the environment. Plus he likes the exercise. "I enjoy riding my bike; it's a good way to get that workout in and not have to spend so much extra time doing it," he said.

"It's just, you know, a change of scenery and trying to make the best out of it. Obviously, flying is out of budget as well," said Ms. Potvin, a 41-year-old accountant who lives in Lake Highlands. "They have Schlitterbahn down there and a Putt-Putt," she said, and a few more options for the family’s 6-year-old and 4-year-old twins.

Only time will tell what affect the high price of gasoline will have on the Galveston County tourism this season.

Sky-high gas prices. Airline misery. A weak dollar. Fears of a recession. For many Americans, it all adds up to downsized travel plans this season.

As families across the country plan their vacations, many are downsizing out of concern over the economy, spooked by talk of a recession, the weak value of the dollar overseas and home foreclosures. Add to that air-travel delays and the rising cost of gas, and some travelers are holding off planning, in hopes of nabbing cheap deals at the last minute.

Some resorts and tour operators are responding with discounts and other incentives to try to fill rooms. Close-to-home destinations like suburban water parks and regional resort towns say they're bracing for a spike in business as Americans look for fun things to do that don't require much travel.

This summer, resorts selling well are generally all-inclusives that emphasize competitive pricing and value, or those at the top end of the market that cater to the wealthiest travelers, says Donna Michaels, senior director of product development for World Travel Holdings, a distributor of cruise and vacation packages.

Some summer rentals areas are becoming more competitive. Celia Chen, director of housing economics for Moody's Economy.com, an economic consulting firm, says markets that are a close drive to major cities are expected to see a strong summer rental business this year.

Big Gas Prices Lure Buyers to Small Cars

Americans are buying small cars at a rate not seen since the energy crisis of the 1970s brought the Pinto and the Gremlin.

Industry analysts point to soaring gas prices as the reason for the trend.

Nothing is going right for consumers in particular. We're losing jobs, the stock market is down. House prices are falling. Gas and food prices are rising. It's all very debilitating, so the higher gas prices hurt more in that kind of context.

How do you make your summer getaway when there's no escaping high gas prices?
With a map!

Jessica Burkhead's family had planned on making a trip to Disney World this summer.

But as gas prices started skyrocketing this year, the family of the Port Neches dental assistant realized they would have to rely on memories from their road trip last year to Florida.

"If we go (on vacation), it will be somewhere around here," she said.

They aren't alone.

As the cost of getting from home to the favorite vacation spot goes up, it's reflected in how people travel.

Southeast Texas: Area Attractions
"They are still going to travel," said David Teel, vice president of planning for the Texas Traveling Industry Association. "People are staying close to home."

That and their trips are typically shorter, too, he added.

Higher gas prices around the advent of summer seem to be a common trend the last few years, Teel said.

In the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, AAA predicts that 360,000 fewer people will be hitting the road, taking a plane or traveling by rail for the unofficial start of summer.

The automotive group estimates that 37.87 million people will travel 50 miles or more, down 0.9 percent from last year's 38.23 million.

Almost 32 million Americans will take to the road in their cars or other vehicles this Memorial Day, a 1 percent decrease from 2007, according to the AAA forecast. More than 4 million are expected to fly, down 0.5 percent from last year.

While those numbers might be declining, people are turning to other means of travel.

Paula Sadler of C&R Travel World said she has seen more people booking cruises that leave from Galveston this summer, which run from $400 to $900 a person.

These are people who generally haven't booked cruises, she added.

"Money is tight," Sadler said.

The most common comment Pam Gilbeau of Cruises Inc. said she has heard is that people are waiting on their federal economic stimulus payment before making travel plans.

Anne Willis, Bolivar Peninsula Chamber of Commerce president, said that as gas prices go up, people come to the peninsula.

"I've always found that higher gas prices always helped us down here," Willis said.

Willis said most of the peninsula-goers come from around Southeast Texas.

Richard Bothel, a Lamar University administrator who also is with the Southeast Texas Canoe and Kayak Group, said Southeast Texas is brimming with vacation possibilities.

"They don't know what is all here," Bothel said of local residents.

The group's kayaking trips, which started about five years ago, has groups from about a half dozen people to nearly 200, he added.

Debbie Arthur Hernandez of Port Arthur said her family was planning to head to Florida beaches.

"Now, we'll stay closer to here," she said.

High gas prices may be boon for Galveston Island and the Bolivar Peninsula, just a tank away from Houston and Beaumont, as Texans will pay the highest prices ever recorded for a gallon of gasoline Memorial Day weekend.

You can save a buck on every gallon of gas with a few tricks of the driving trade.

With a gallon of regular nearing four dollars at many pumps, most of us are looking for ways to get more out of what we’ve got.

But, once you’ve already tuned up, checked your tire pressure, and are driving less… what else can you do? Well, here are five clever fuel conservation secrets I recently picked-up from a real pro... a friend who drives a gypsy cab in San Francisco. (The fuel savings calculations are courtesy of AAA.)

1. Use your cruise control – This little piece of technology is much better at controlling speed than any human foot. Today’s advanced cruise control devices can also optimize fuel/air mixture and other aspects engine performance.
Potential Savings – 15% to 20%

2. Shift Into Neutral – Slipping your automatic transmission out of “Drive” at stoplights and on long downhill sections keeps the engine from fighting against your brakes and gravity. At a stoplight, an idling engine is still connected the wheels, which you’re holding still via the brake. Your engine’s energy just creates heat by stirring the transmission fluid. Shift into neutral, the motor will experience less drag and use less fuel. When going down long grades or hills, shifting out of drive keeps the wheels from “pushing” the engine and burning fuel unnecessarily. Use this technique only if you can maintain positive control of your vehicle and drive in a safe manner. (NOTE: Coasting down steep grades in neutral may actaully be illegal in some states.)
Potential Savings – 11 to 17%

3. Change your air filter – The more air an engine gets, the more efficiently it runs. Changing a filter with scheduled service is rarely often enough. In the spring, when pollen fills the air, an air filter can lose as much as 50% of its efficiency is just a couple of weeks. Filters are generally inexpensive and most are easily changeable.
Potential Savings – 7% to 17%

4. Close your windows – The additional drag created by open windows or a sun-roof can significantly decrease gas mileage, particularly at freeway speeds. As TV’s Mythbusters proved, it’s also better to drive with the pickup tailgate up, rather than down.
Potential Savings – 6% to 14%

5. Wash your car – Just like the windows, anything you can do to increase the smooth flow of air over your car reduces drag and thereby increases gas mileage. A clean car always drives better anyway.
Potential Savings - 3% to 7%

While none of these tips is a wallet-stuffer on its own, cumulatively they can boost your gas mileage by 75%, cutting your fuel bill by more than a third. That’s equivalent to trading-in a 24mph Camry for a for a brand new Prius hybrid, and you won’t have to pay the dealer $20K for the privilege.