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Gas prices are reaching $4 per gallon in some places and airfares have risen 15 percent since last year. Still, the majority of Americans (59 percent), are planning on traveling, according to Ellen Bettridge, Vice President of American Express Travel. So which method of transportation—car or plane—is more affordable these days? With Memorial Day just around the corner I was motivated to find the answer to the question. Here's what I learned: There are several major factors that influence the cost of a trip, including how fuel efficient your car is, how far you're traveling, how many people are traveling with you, and whether or not there is a low-cost airline that flies to your destination. In general, the more people that are traveling with you, the more cost-efficient driving will be because you're not purchasing airline tickets for each individual. Obviously, the more gas efficient your car is the cheaper it will be to drive. The easiest way to figure out what makes the most sense for you is to do a quick cost comparison. Here are the four things you'll want to consider as you do the math: Step 1: Determine your vehicle's gas mileage. You probably already have a good sense of what kind of gas mileage your car gets, but if you want to be really precise a good resource is the Environmental Protection Agency's car comparison calculator, which provides miles-per-gallon estimates for both city and highway driving. Step 2: Check gas costs. Determine how much it will set you back to fill up your tank on your trip. The best source for this is AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, which provides detailed gas prices in hundreds of markets across the U.S. Just punch in your origin, destination, and your vehicle's year, make and model and the website will churn out an estimate on fuel cost for your trip. Step 3: Factor in the cost of tolls and hotels. Don't forget to consider the amount of money you'll be spending on tolls and, if you're traveling long distance, any hotels you might need along the way. For example, a round-trip drive between New York City and Washington D.C. costs $60 in tolls alone if you take the major highways. On the other hand, many regions in the south don't have any toll roads. There's no one single website for determining toll costs, but many states have toll calculators (to find these websites google the state you're in and "toll calculator"). The website Toll Fare Calculator has links to such resources in 16 states including Texas, New York, California, and Oklahoma. Certain GPS units, such as Garmin nuvi 3750, also give you the option of plotting toll-free routes. Step 4: Check airfare costs and compare. Last but not least, check how much it will cost for your party to fly to your destination and do a cost comparison. Start your fare search with sites such as Kayak or Expedia, but keep in mind that not all airlines share their data with online travel agencies (Southwest and Vision Airlines are two examples of companies that only sell tickets via their own websites). Finally, don't forget about trains and buses, which can provide affordable options as well. To see what kind of public transportation options are available in your state, check out the American Public Transportation Association's helpful map. SEE MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL: 7 Deals for Memorial Day 8 Common Air Travel Snafus (and How to Beat Them) 10 Beach Products You Never Knew You Needed

I used to be very scared of flying (I know, not the best trait for a travel journalist). I'm not anymore. But because of my past, I had very mixed feelings about the recent New York Times Magazine article about the deadly fate of Air France Flight 447, the flight that crashed somewhere between South America and Africa in June 2009. My first reaction, as both a journalist and a frequent flier, to the headline question: "What happened to Air France Flight 447?" was "Yeah, whatever did happen to that flight?" I read on. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('0599a581-e21d-4c7c-9152-fab9de549ca2');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)But as I delved into the detailed investigative report about the flight, and the mechanical and communication problems that likely led to its demise, for the first time in years, I got that nervous pit in my stomach, that one from years ago, from my battle with my fear of flight. That "whoah, that's all it takes for a plane to go down?" feeling. I mean, did you know that there are these small cylinders called pitots "that sit outside the body of the plane to calculate airspeed," according to the article, and "without them, a plane's flight computer has no way to determine speed, and the automatic pilot shuts down?" If the pitot probes get clogged with dirt or ice, "the plane will suddenly revert to manual control, forcing pilots to take the stick of a half-million-pound aircraft in whatever conditions disrupted the pitot in the first place." "In theory, this shouldn't cause a crash," the article then assures. I combated and ultimately beat my fear of flying like many people combat fears, with an arsenal of mental, logical and emotional exercises. I worked on myself to view flying as a relaxing escape, much like I once viewed it as a little girl, curled up in the window seat, either peering outside at beautiful landscapes, or consumed by soothing activities like reading, listening to music, and watching movies. I also tried to fight the irrational fear with rational facts. I learned up on flight safety statistics, and the causes of turbulence. The sheer number of flights I'm on every year helped too. The more experiences I had, both smooth and bumpy, pleasant and not, the more confidence I had in flying. I remember being on a flight once and clearly looking so nervous that a flight attendant offered to take me into the cockpit, to show me what it all looks like from the drivers' seat. I declined. Though it helped to know that my chances of dying in a plane crash were much lower than dying in a car crash, somehow seeing all the buttons and dials and the complexity of the cockpit wasn't appealing to me. Some people opt to take classes to learn more about the inner workings of an airplane. That wasn't for me either. But I knew I couldn't keep doing my job, living my lifestyle, arriving at destinations drenched in stress-induced sweat and tears. So I just kept at it, until finally I beat the fear down, and in many ways simply lost my patience with what had become such a drain on me emotionally and physically. Now, almost nothing in the air scares me. I have finally become one of those fliers I envied for years, able to sleep or read through the most jostling turbulence, takeoffs and landings. For anyone who has ever experienced a fear of flying, we all know or own boundaries and what we need to do to try (or not) to fight it. What about the rest of you nervous fliers? Does it help to know more about how planes operate and how safe they are, or would you rather know as little as possible and fight the fear in other ways? Let us know by voting in our poll or telling us how you have combated your fear of flight in comments below. More from Budget Travel: 8 Things an Airline Would Never Tell You Why airlines cancel some flights but not others Hilarious new safety video from Air New Zealand

The world's only museum to tell the story of heartbreak is in the Croatia capital of Zagreb. It has the vivid name of The Museum of Broken Relationships. It showcases tokens of affection from the donors' lost loves and former marriages, such as teddy bears. It's a gallery for broken hearts. But you can be as easily smitten with a favorite destination as with another person. You can also fall out of love with a destination, too. One of the fun things about relationships is that ridiculously giddy feeling you have when things are great. Let's say you're in love with Disneyland. You can't stop talking about Disneyland to your family and friends. Your ears perk up anytime you hear a bit of news about the place, and you can't help chiming in about what you know as an insider—having been there yourself. It's natural for excitement to wane a bit over time, though. You can't be head over heels about a favorite city, beach, mountain, or tourist attraction your whole life. Your feelings will ebb and flow. if (WIDGETBOX) WIDGETBOX.renderWidget('bdb61f03-aef4-4641-bbe3-4963adfb0cee');Get the Poll Creator Pro widget and many other great free widgets at Widgetbox! Not seeing a widget? (More info)Which leads to this question: When is it time to break-up with a destination, to stop going back, to call it quits? Here are top signs your favorite destination is no longer working for you: 1) When talking about vacation ideas with friends and family, you catch yourself mentioning some other destination far more often than your old favorite. 2) You have trouble planning a repeat visit to your favorite destination. You used to be so enthused to do research and to hear about what's new. But now, before your return trip, you just want to get on the plane and hope that when you arrive some special, old time magic kicks in and makes you feel reconnected. 3) When you arrive, you find yourself complaining more than oohing and ahhing. You feel the place has done you wrong by closing down favorite spots. Or by being overrun by "tourists" or by graffiti or by the opening up multinational chain stores you could find back home. Experiencing two or three of these signs? Trouble is brewing. Consider talking to a travel agent for some independent advice. Maybe there's a new Prague, a new Vegas, a new Kauai out there you haven't yet explored. Maybe at some point, your heart may want to cry out: "Atlantic City, I loved you as a child, I loved you as young adult, but now we're through. We're done. It's over." In the meantime, Croatia needs to invent a special exhibition at its Museum of Broken Relationships—one that showcases the souvenirs, photos, and mementoes of favorite destinations loved and lost. Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever broken up with a favorite destination? Have you been able to stay on good terms with an ex-favorite destination? Sound off in the comments. We welcome you to also vote in our poll to say whether you've ever been in love with a destination, meaning, repeatedly visited it. Thanks. MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL American Airlines is testing movie streaming to passenger laptops American Express is selling packages to unknown destinations Britain's royal newlyweds are coming to California in July

Starting June 1, Delta will offer long-haul flights with Economy Comfort seats, which will have an additional four inches of legroom, some free booze, priority boarding, free HBO programming on the seatback TVs, and about 50 percent greater angle recline in your seat, says the airline's blog. The seats will be on 108 planes covering most "long-haul intercontinental routes between the U.S. and Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, the Middle East, and South America (Lima, Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro, São Paulo, Buenos Aires, and Santiago)" says the airline. You can't buy the Economy Comfort seats directly. But starting today, you may book an economy-class ticket, and then if one of these seats are available on your flight, you can upgrade to it. Prices vary, but The Points Guy (who broke the story, after Delta's blog) has reports of the cost being about $80 one-way on an East Coast to Europe route. The Economist's Gulliver blog sees upgrade costs as high as $160 one-way. In any event, Delta offers the seats for free to selected members of their frequent flier program, such as those with Diamond and Platinum Medallion status, notes Jaunted. In short, great news for tall travelers with extra money to spend. Full details on Economy Comfort on Delta's site. Delta joins a string of airlines with a medium upgrade option, such as to United/Continental's Economy Plus. Southwest is now the only airline not to offer a comparable service. Reaction so far has been mixed. Gulliver, for instance, has mocked the name: "If you name your premium-economy seating "Economy Comfort," what not-very-subliminal message are you giving about the joys of your regular economy seating?" It's also criticized some of the details. "Early boarding is not much of a lure on an international flight with allocated seats." But what truly matters is what fliers like you think. Would you pay about $80 for an upgrade? Please vote in our poll or sound off with a comment below. Thanks! MORE FROM BUDGET TRAVEL American Airlines is testing movie streaming to passenger laptops American Express is selling packages to unknown destinations Britain's royal newlyweds are coming to California in July