Reduce gas costs and pollution this Turkey Day

Heading over the river and through the woods to grandmother's house this Thanksgiving? Don't let the costs and pollution associated with the car ride bring you down.

Check out DriveSmarterChallenge.org for tips to reduce your gasoline costs, pollution and CO2 emissions. Regardless of where you are traveling this Thanksgiving, The Drive Smarter Challenge Web site serves up answers to a variety of travelers' questions such as: Where can I rent a hybrid or fuel efficient vehicle? Where can I find cheap gas along my travel route? What public transportation is available at my destination?

Fuel-efficient driving is important for the environment without burning a hole in your wallet. Here are a handful of our fave tips from the site:

Before you go

• Keeping your tires inflated properly will increase your gas mileage by about 3 percent.
• Get a tune up. Fixing your car's failed emissions will improve its gas mileage by about 4 percent.
  

On the road

• Slow down. Each 5 miles over 60 mph will cost your 24 cents or more per gallon of gas.
• Don't idle. Idling get's you 0 mpg.. and bigger cars waster even more gas than smaller ones.
  

When you're done

• Fill up your rental car's tank. If you don't fill up the tank, a higher gas price will be charged to your account.

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Holiday travel plans stall amid financial slump

With the average price of airfare higher than it has been in years, many people who would otherwise go home for the holidays are opting to skip the plane ticket or avoid traveling altogether.

This means that some families will be missing relatives, and others, especially in college towns like Boston, will host new guests at Thanksgiving dinner. New England-area parents are not the only ones who may have to do a little extra cooking this year.

Restaurants may be getting more diners who otherwise would have traveled over Thanksgiving. The Boston Globe reports that at Temple Bar in Cambridge, for example, Chef Tom Berry plans to order up to 20 turkeys in anticipation of the additional business.

Airline traffic into Boston is expected to be down as much as 10 percent over last year. "With absolute certainty, there will be alesser number of flyers," David Castelveter, vice president of communications for the Air Transport Association, tells the Boston Globe.

Gas prices, however, have been steadily declining since the summer,so that could impact holiday travel. Some families that typically fly may decide to drive rather than opt out of making a trip altogether.The downside, of course is that driving requires much more time and the roads are often busy on the day before and day of Thanksgiving.

With all of the stress that can accompany planning a big meal andhosting lots of relatives, avoiding the hassle of flying on thebusiest travel time of the year may be a welcome relief to some.

--Bridget O'Sullivan

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