Lower gas prices and summer travel

CHICOPEE, Mass. (WWLP) - The official start of summer is less than a week away and with the 4th of July just around the corner people are planning their summer vacations.

According to AAA the price of gas is averaging $3.56 per gallon, that's down $.17 from last year at this time.

You can even find it as low as $3.45 a gallon at the Hess on Memorial Avenue in West Springfield.

The lower gas prices and warm weather have some people planning trips to the beach.

“We're seeing people going to Hyannis, Cape Cod area. People going to Newport, Rhode Island; Ogonquit, Maine more local coastal destinations,” said Sandra Marsian of the AAA of the Pioneer Valley.

Despite the lower gas prices some people are still planning to stay closer to home. Some of them spent the day at the beach at Chicopee Memorial State Park .

“Staycation” that's still more the word. We weren't planning on traveling as much even though the gas prices did come down it helped a lot but we're still trying to stay closer saving as much money as we can during these times,” said Matthew Anderson of Springfield.

“Not as much because we don't know where the gas prices are gonna go. Keep it local, keep the money here,” said Britney Lopez of Holyoke.

The other advantage of staying here in Western Massachusetts this weekend, it'll be warmer. Along the coast temperatures will only be in the 60s and 70s.