Don't let $4 per gallon ruin your plans for summer travel. These tips can help limit your pain at the pump.

Memorial Day weekend marks the official start of summer, which means that the season for road trips is upon us. This year, however, traveling by car is going go cost you quite a bit more than it did last year. Meanwhile, the economic recovery has been pretty soft, which means that most Americans aren't flush with extra cash to pay for more expensive gas. But if you alter your driving habits you can get more distance out of a tank.

In case you aren't convinced that you should be concerned about the dent high-priced gasoline is making in your wallet, let's look at the numbers. As of May 23rd, the average price for a gallon of regular conventional gasoline was $3.79, according to the Department of Energy. A year earlier, the same gallon cost just $2.42.

Luckily, there are steps you can take to use less gas. For example, by simply driving less aggressively you might be able to save as much as 37%. With that tip alone, the effective price of gas drops from $3.79 to $2.39. By incorporating some of the 20 changes below into your driving routine, you might not find the current outrageous price of gas to be such an impediment to your summer road trips after all.

Sources for the tips: Fueleconomy.com, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Edmunds.com, AOL Autos, Consumer Reports, General Motors (GM), OpenTravelInfo.com, Bankrate.com

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