Most people love to travel around the world whenever possible. So, why don’t more of them do it? The cost can be prohibitive for one. This may be a particularly difficult problem this year.

As we work our way towards summer, the first thoughts about what to do during the summer months for a vacation or trip should be entering your mind. Before you get carried away with thoughts of Bali, you are going to have to think about the potential negatives of travel this year. Simply put, a trifecta of economic factors are shaping up to be big negatives.

First off, we have the cost of fuel. Unless you ride a bike full time, you know that the cost of gas has been rising. There are a number of reasons for this that would be fascinating to discuss, but we are talking about travel in this article. The cost of fuel is up and you can expect airlines to be passing the cost on to you. In short, more of your dollar is going to go to flight costs. Ah, about that dollar.

If you are living in the US, any thoughts of traveling abroad will quickly make you realize the old dollar has taken a beating these past few years. Simply put, the buck is way down compared to other currencies. The Canadian dollar used to be worth about 70 to 80 percent of the US dollar. It is now worth slight more than a full dollar. Going to Europe may seem a good idea, but you better be very clear on how much money you are going to need.

Finally, we have the overall whispers of a potential recession. Okay, shouts. The US economic outlook is looking grim for the year. If the US is down, so is much of the world. It might be a year to take a less expensive trip and make sure things are good on the work and home front instead of heading off to Argentina to learn the Tango.

Now, you can also look at these three things as a definite travel opportunity for the coming year. If prices are up and the economy is down, there are going to be a lot of empty seats on places and discounts will be offered. The same goes for tourist destinations in Europe. If you really want to cut your travel costs, maybe it is time to visit the incredibly cheap Southeast Asia. As to the recession, everyone is probably still going to be taking a vacation during the year, so why not have fun?!

Rick Chapo is with NomadJournals.com - makers of writing journals for the outdoors and travel that make great promotional gifts for small and large businesses alike.