The summer driving season is underway and the price of gasoline is on the rise. The regulated price in New Brunswick jumped overnight and the same thing is expected to happen in Nova Scotia after midnight.

“I think it’s crazy. It really cuts into my budget,” says Fredericton motorist Kelly MacMillan.

With the price of gas nearing $1.30 per litre in the capital city, MacMillan says she has started crossing the border to buy as much gas as she can in Maine.

“I go down there, I make sure I have this much gas left when I get there,” she says. “I might put five bucks in in Harvey to get there and then I fill up before I come back.”

In New Brunswick, the price of regular unleaded, self-serve gasoline went up more than a nickel overnight while the price is expected to jump even more in Nova Scotia.

Analysts say events at home and abroad, such as unrest in oil-producing nations such as Egypt and Syria, are driving the summer price spike.

So too is the drop in the price of gold, which is causing speculators to turn to oil, and that renewed demand is pushing prices skyward.

“It affects, maybe, how much pleasure driving you do,” says motorist Everett Gilmore.

“When you plan your trips, you plan it in a circle rather than bouncing all over town. That’s what I try to do anyway, so it definitely affects what you think you’re going to do for extracurricular driving.”

The most recent increases come just as many Maritimers are filling their tanks before driving away on summer vacation.

At this time last year, gas cost roughly four cents less per litre.

Industry analysts expect domestic and international pressures will continue to push the price of gas even higher, at least through next week.

Many motorists are complaining about the spike, but New Brunswick’s energy minister says it could have been worse, if not for regulation.

“We’re consistently four to five cents lower than other provinces around us and consistently lower than the Canadian average,” says Craig Leonard. “So we’d say for sure that regulation is working as it’s intended to.”

Some American analysts say gas prices could rise another 10 per cents before the end of the summer, which could push the cost to almost $1.50 per litre in some areas.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Andy Campbell