Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer, is less than two weeks away and it looks like it’s going to be a busy three-day weekend for travel. According to AAA, 42.3-million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more for Memorial Day weekend. That’s up 7% over last year, or 2.7-million more travelers, and it’s a sign of the busy travel season predicted for this summer.
- The majority of travelers will be hitting the road for Memorial Day, with road trips up 6% over last year.
- Gas prices are lower this year than in 2022 and 37.1-million Americans will be driving to their destinations, more than 2-million more than last year.
- But car travel is still down from pre-pandemic numbers by about a half a million travelers.
- The busiest day on the roads for the holiday weekend is expected to be Friday, May 26th and the best times to be driving are in the morning, or after 6 p.m. in the evening.
- About 3.4-million travelers will be flying to their Memorial Day destinations, 11% more than in 2022.
- Air travel is predicted to exceed pre-pandemic levels, with 170-thousand more people flying than in 2019.
- AAA says Memorial Day weekend could be the busiest at airports since 2005.
- “This is expected to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when AAA started tracking holiday travel,” according to Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA.
- The top destinations for Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA booking data are hotspots including Orlando, New York City and Las Vegas.
Source: AAA