Cheapest Gasoline in the World: Venezuela, the World's Fourth Largest Oil Exporter

Millions of Americans are looking forward to their summer vacation; most of us have happy memories of the entire family (teenagers groaning) piling into the car, and heading down the highway for a week or two of cruising towards the coast, hitting the waves, and sightseeing. With gas prices already over $3.00 a gallon, and some predicting that it will reach $4.00 a gallon this summer, that dream may come to a screeching halt for some.

There is still at least one place I've found that gasoline for your vehicle can be purchased for no more than 25 cents a gallon! Where in the world could that be - some hidden little town way up in the mountains that no one has traveled to in the last ten years? Actually, it's in Venezuela - which sits on the largest crude oil reserves outside of the Middle East and possibly in the entire world. Venezuela has the cheapest gasoline prices in the world, and is currently the fourth largest oil exporter in the world.

Venezuelans see cheap gasoline as their birthright. Filling up an SUV's tank with high-octane gasoline will cost approximately $3 -- less than the price of two bottles of fresh spring water.

The low priced gasoline in Venezuela is the result of huge government subsidies. The motorists adore it, and they buy vehicles, especially the big, gas guzzling SUV's that are beginning to fall out of favor in our country, at a record rate. Unlike in the United States, vehicles hold their value, or even increase in value. Unfortunately, Caracas, the country's capitol, is is full of air pollution and traffic clogged grid locked streets. Over 2 million cars jam the roads, cruising at an average speed of only 9 miles per hour.

Outside of the polluted, street clogged cities, the people tend to be very poor. The average worker only earns less than $200 per month, and usually has a family to provide for. These families aren't dreaming of getting into their car for a two week long family beach vacation - they're dreaming of putting food on the table night after night, feeding the children, and hoping for a better life for them.

There isn't much of a middle class in Venezuela; the people tend to be wealthy, or poor. The cheap gas prices tend to benefit only the wealthy, as the poor cannot afford to buy a vehicle to put the gasoline into!

This summer, when school is out, the sun is shining and the breezes are warm, and you think about canceling that family vacation because gasoline prices have gotten too expensive, take a long minute to think about it. Be thankful that you live in the United States, where we have a strong economy, endless possibilities, and where our dreams can become our reality! Gasoline may be getting more expensive, and we need to become more creative in finding ways to use less gas, conserve the resources, and live our dreams to the fullest.