BILLINGS Memorial Day weekend marked the unofficial start of the summer travel season, but for many Montanans, the cost of getting there is reshaping plans, and in some cases, canceling them altogether.Tourists packed roads thr ough Red Lodge and along the Beartooth Highway over Memorial Day weekend, signaling what could be another busy summer across southern Montana. AAA estimates roughly 45 million Americans traveled nationwide during the holiday weekend, despite elevated fuel costs.Watch the story here: Billings braces for busy tourist season as rising travel costs strain MontanansFor some travelers, driving is no longer the affordable option it once was."Everything's being affected. Hotels, gas, airline tickets, everything has gone through the roof," Mechelle Wasteneys said.Wasteneys flew into Billings from Colorado to visit her friend Nicole Stephenson, who lives in Hysham. She said flying was actually the cheaper option."It would have been two to three times my ticket now to drive," Wasteneys said.In Montana, the average price of regular gasoline sits at $4.57 per gallon, according to AAA,"When you add that on top of having to stay someplace and lodging and all the stuff that it takes, it goes over the top to the point where I don't think a lot of people are," Wasteneys said.Stephenson said she and her husband made the decision to cancel their summer vacation entirely because of gas prices."We dropped ours. We're not going anywhere this summer," Stephenson said. Still, the U.S. is gearing up for a big tourism year. The country's 250th birthday is drawing thousands to national parks, and Billings serves as a hub for travelers heading to destinations like Yellowstone and the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument.Not everyone in the hospitality industry expects a dramatic surge, though. Steven Krum, sous chef at the Northern Hotel in downtown Billings, said the hotel is anticipating a relatively steady season."I think we're anticipating a fairly normal summer. I think with regards to this hotel in particular, I think we're gonna see a slight increase, but nothing unusual," Krum said.Other businesses are already seeing major growth.Darren James Hackey, owner of D. James Western Hat Co., said his custom hat business is on pace for a record season. His handcrafted cowboy hats, which range from about $1,200 to several thousand dollars, attract both tourists and local ranchers.So far in the season, if its any indicator of what the summer might look like, I would say were going to have a very busy summer, Hackey said. "We're new to the game, but it's been a record May for us." Hackey estimated that about half his customers are local, while the rest travel from out of state. He also ships many orders nationwide. The popularity of Western culture, boosted in recent years by television shows, rodeos, and tourism campaigns, continues drawing visitors to Montana communities even as travel costs rise."I think that the mysticism of the West is still alive, and I don't think that's going away anytime soon. People want what we have, which is beauty, space," Hackey said. "The Yellowstone effect is absolutely a thing ... Western hats will always work in a western town, and that's what Billings is.But for many residents, the economic reality of living in a tourist destination remains complicated."As soon as summer starts going, we're a tourist state, so everything's going to go up here, too," Stephenson said."Something's got to give. There's only so much in a paycheck that you can deal with anymore," Wasteneys said. "You used to have cushions, but now with everything else, you're saving your cushions for the difference in the groceries." ...read more read less