If you’ve pulled up to a pump lately and felt a mild sense of vertigo, you aren’t alone. The national average for a gallon of regular gas has officially climbed past $4, and in some corners of the country, the numbers look more like a long-distance area code than a fuel price. (We discussed the likely effect of higher fuel prices on Saturday.)

I've been hearing from travelers who are seeing prices that defy logic. Remember that viral video showing a station in Menlo Park, Calif., that was charging more than $8 a gallon? While that’s an extreme outlier—usually a station owner testing the limits of what desperate commuters will pay—it’s a warning shot for anyone planning a summer getaway. This will get worse.

Experts warn that global instability could roil the market in coming weeks. The industry wants you to believe this is just market volatility, but for the family in a rented SUV, it’s also a budget-killer.

Reality check: Think $4 a gallon is bad? In Sydney, Australia, where I'm currently based, motorists are paying about $6.30 a gallon. Travelers heading to Europe or Asia are facing even higher prices. In Hong Kong, Norway, and Iceland, gas prices routinely hover near $10 a gallon. So if you're planning an international driving vacation, I recommend you take another look at your fuel budget.

You don’t have to cancel your vacation, but you do have to adjust your strategy.

Pro tip: We've been talking about this for years, but this may be the summer to switch to an EV (if available). If fuel prices continue to rise, you might save a bundle. And if gas prices stay high—which they might—it'll be a keeper.

The takeaway: Download a fuel-tracking app and fill up on Sundays. Or just switch to an EV or take mass transit. 

High gas prices aren't the only thing draining your travel budget this summer. There’s also a hidden tax hitting your wallet every time you put the car in gear, and it has nothing to do with the war in the Middle East or refinery closures: It’s the cost of sitting still.

City centers are clogging up at rates we haven’t seen since 2019. New data from a survey by INRIX suggests some drivers are losing the equivalent of an entire work week each year idling in gridlock. When you factor in lost productivity and wasted fuel, the bill comes to roughly $771 per person.

This time tax is particularly high if you're visiting the nation's biggest metro areas. If you're planning a road trip to New York or Chicago, you aren't just paying $4 a gallon at the pump—you're effectively shelling out a massive surcharge just for the privilege of not moving.

While traffic is up everywhere, these ten cities are the absolute worst for your wallet and maintaining your sanity. 

Chicago has officially overtaken New York as the most congested city in America, with drivers losing 112 hours a year to gridlock. Mexico City is number two, with 108 hours. New York City follows with 102 hours lost and is the first U.S. city to introduce congestion pricing. Los Angeles drivers lose 87 hours a year, despite a slight 1 percent dip, remaining the slowest metro in the West. Rounding out the list are Boston, Miami, Atlanta, Houston, and Washington, D.C.

You don't have to be a victim of gridlock this summer. A few strategic shifts can save you hundreds of dollars:

Get outta town. If you're visiting a major city, park your car at a suburban transit station and take the train into town. You'll avoid the high gas prices near the city center and avoid the stress of 14 mph average speeds in downtown Chicago.

Use your phone. Apps like Google Maps or Waze are essential, but don't just use them for directions. Leverage them to time your departure. Often, leaving just 30 minutes after rush hour can cut your commute time in half. (Consider the "eco route" settings, which could save you even more.)

Pro tip: Sunday remains the cheapest day to buy gas and, coincidentally, one of the lightest traffic days in most major metro areas. Plan your big drives for the weekend and stay put during the midweek peak.

The takeaway: Avoid driving in city centers between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. or 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. If you must visit a top-ten congested city, use public transit or time your entry for the weekend to save both fuel and money.

Maybe "free" transit isn't a gift, but a smart survival strategy. That's the takeaway from this morning's commentary on places like Melbourne and Luxembourg, which are offering mass transit at no cost to travelers. (Hmm, maybe you can disconnect your trip from the volatility of the global oil market.)

OK, so most cities are still just offering fare holidays that act as a temporary buffer. But if we want to stop being victims of the next fuel price shock, we have to stop treating public transport like a business and start treating it like a fundamental right. It's time to build a world where the price of a gallon of gas is irrelevant to whether or not you can afford to drive to work. As I've said before, the real solution isn't just ending one war, but building a society that doesn't need the oil that fuels them.

Hit reply and tell me what you're doing. Are you timing your fill-ups, switching routes, going EV, or just absorbing the cost and moving on? The best tips from readers will run in an upcoming issue.