Get ready for congested roadways and busy gas stations this upcoming holiday weekend. AAA is projecting road trips to set a new Memorial Day weekend record. Travelers will encounter cheaper prices at the pump than last year. In fact, GasBuddy says it will be the cheapest Memorial Day at the pump since 2021. The fuel savings platform says for Memorial Day the national average is projected to be $3.08 per gallon, down significantly from $3.58 on Memorial Day last year.
Overall, AAA projects 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday period which runs from Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26. 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 ten years ago in 2005 with 44 million people. It'll be busy at airports, too, with air travel projected to increase by nearly 2 percent.
AAA says despite concerns over rising prices, 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. That’s 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. Lower gas prices are likely helping fuel the increase in road trips this year. Last Memorial Day, the national average for a gallon of regular was $3.59. This spring – thanks to lower crude oil prices – gasoline prices haven’t seen typical seasonal spikes. However, keep in mind with the unofficial start of summer kicking off the busy driving season, demand is expected to rise, and pump prices may creep up along with it. Seasonally speaking, gas prices typically peak in the summer and start coming down when schools go back in session in the fall.
For drivers who are renting cars over Memorial Day weekend, AAA car rental partner Hertz says Friday, May 23 is expected to be the busiest day for pickup. SUVs are some of the most popular rental vehicles for the long holiday weekend. Hertz says the cities seeing the highest demand for rental cars include Orlando, Denver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, and Seattle – all cities in AAA’s Top Destinations list. Also, Hertz is now offering Jeep Wrangler 4xe rentals, and you can read more about that here.
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 (that was set back in 2005 with 3.64 million travelers), this year’s numbers are projected to surpass pre-pandemic levels by 12%. AAA says its booking data (based on what travelers paid when booking Memorial Day weekend flights) shows domestic flights are 2% more expensive compared to last year, with the average roundtrip ticket costing $850. Most of those flights are to popular destinations like Chicago, New York, Orlando, Denver, and Seattle.
By Other Modes: Travel by other modes continues to steadily rise post-pandemic. AAA projects 2.08 million people will travel by train, bus, or cruise over Memorial Day weekend, an 8.5% increase over last year. This category is now surpassing pre-pandemic numbers from 2018 and 2019, but doesn’t reach the record numbers of the early 2000s when more people were choosing trains and buses post 9/11.
For the full report by AAA, including tips on how to save money, click here.
Photo Credit: Roschetzky Photography/Shutterstock.com.