Nine ways to save gas and money this summer - Road Trips - MSNBC.com: "Gas costs have become an unnerving new concern when planning vacations. An increase of about a dollar per gallon in the past two years, or around 30-35 percent, is no minor addition to the already often considerable expense of traveling.

It's not a problem that is likely to go away. While we may see a leveling off of average prices, most experts don't expect prices to go down very much in the future. The fact is, the days of the $2 and under gallon of gas are almost certainly over -- but we've managed to come up with a few ways to save at the pump.

Simple stuff
1) Buy gas the day before you travel. You already know where the best gas deals are near your house or office, so you might as well purchase the first tank of your trip at a price you know and can control.
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2) Empty out your ride. Leaving the 50-pound bag of dog food, the sack of grass seed, the immovable box of magazines headed for recycling, and more in your car on long trips adds weight to your car and gobbles up fuel at a rate of 1-2 percent per 100 pounds. Lighten your load before traveling to save money.

On the highways
3) Choose an exit with several gas stations. You can usually tell these from the amenity signs on the highway leading up to the exit -- the "