Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to summer, and many are expected to head on vacation

News 12's Kristie Reeter has the real deal on travel costs and tricks to save on your next trip.

A major expense for travelers this summer is rising gas prices. According to AAA, many counties in New York have gas price averages over $5 per gallon. 

Caleb Silver, from Investopedia, says everyone’s wallets are expected to take a hit when they travel.

“Gas in the region is up 42.7% from a year ago. Despite these high gas prices, most folks expect to drive around New York this Memorial Day weekend,” Silver says. “Overall, transportation costs are up about 15.5% slightly lower than the national average, but that includes buses, that includes trains and planes and automobiles."

AAA says this is the trend for the rest of the year, with bookings for the rest of the spring, summer and fall at 25% to 50% more than last year. 

Robert Sinclair Jr., of AAA Northeast, says other aspects of travel are seeing increases too. 

“Two and three diamond hotels are up significantly, airfares are up...the only thing lower is rental cars,” he says. 

People are getting creative with the budget to make those trips happen.

"They are probably going to shorten the distance that they travel,” Sinclair says. 

A lot of cost saving tricks happen with your car. According to energy.gov, having your tires inflated to the recommended pressure can save you 10 cents per gallon of gasoline.

AAA also recommends drivers to slow down.  

"I have seen numbers that say for every five miles over 50 mph….it's like adding 25 cents to the price of a gallon of gasoline,” Sinclair says.