VIRGINIA BEACH — AAA projects 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period.
AAA defines the holiday period as Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26.
According to AAA, this year’s domestic travel forecast is an increase of 1.4 million travelers compared to last year and sets a new Memorial Day weekend record. The previous record was set back in 2005 with 44 million people.
Despite concerns over rising prices, it added, many Americans say they’re taking advantage of the long holiday weekend to spend time with loved ones, even if the trips are closer to home.
“Memorial Day weekend getaways don’t have to be extravagant and costly,” said Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel. “While some travelers embark on dream vacations and fly hundreds of miles across the country, many families just pack up the car and drive to the beach or take a road trip to visit friends. Long holiday weekends are ideal for travel because many people have an extra day off work and students are off from school.”
Memorial Day Travelers by Mode of Transportation
By Car: AAA projects 39.4 million people will travel by car over Memorial Day weekend — an additional one million travelers compared to last year. Driving is the preferred mode of transportation during holiday travel periods, with 87% of Memorial Day travelers choosing to take road trips, it said, and this year, drivers have the benefit of cheaper gas prices.
For drivers who are renting cars over Memorial Day weekend, AAA said car rental partner Hertz says Friday, May 23 is expected to be the busiest day for pickup.
By Air: AAA projects 3.61 million air passengers, a nearly 2% increase over last year when 3.55 million travelers took to the skies. While this Memorial Day weekend isn’t expected to set an air travel record, this year’s numbers are projected to surpass pre-pandemic levels by 12%. AAA notes booking data shows domestic flights are 2% more expensive compared to last year.
By Other Modes: AAA projects 2.08 million people will travel by train, bus, or cruise over Memorial Day weekend, an 8.5% increase over last year and surpassing pre-pandemic numbers from 2018 and 2019.
Best/Worst Times to Drive
INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, expects the afternoons over Memorial Day weekend to be the most congested. AAA said Boston, New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Washington, DC are the metros that can expect the heaviest traffic.
