More people cutting back on vacations

WASHINGTON, May 23 (UPI) -- A Gallup Poll suggests more people are scaling back vacation plans than last year, when gas prices in the United States hit record highs.

In a Gallup Poll of 984 adults, 50 percent said they won't travel much this summer, compared with 40 percent who answered that way a year ago, USA Today reported Saturday.

For many, exotic vacations have given way to recreation closer to home with visits to state parks showing an increase amid more sales of fishing equipment and backyard playground toys, USA Today reported.

"America is redefining what is normal," said Edward Callaway, CEO of Callaway Gardens, a golf-and-swimming resort near Columbus, Ga. "What's normal is a lot more frugal, a lot less extravagant than it used to be."

Families plan more day and weekend trips instead of weeklong vacations, despite an average gas price of $2.36 a gallon, down about $1.50 a gallon from a year ago, said the U.S. Travel Association, which represents the travel industry.