AAA projects more holiday travelers

VW independent staff/submitted information

If you have travel plans for the upcoming holiday weekend, you won’t be alone.

AAA predicts 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period. This year’s domestic travel forecast is an increase of 1.4 million travelers compared to last year. However, despite the increase in holiday travel volume projections, and outside of the dramatic impacts on travel during COVID-19 in 2020, 2025 is projected to have the lowest year-over-year growth rate since 2016 for the Memorial Day holiday.

Economic uncertainties and concerns over rising prices are on the minds of travelers, however, 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.”

AAA is projecting the vast majority of travelers, 39.4 million will go by car over the long Memorial Day weekend. Driving is the preferred mode of transportation during holiday travel periods, with 87 percent of Memorial Day travelers choosing to take road trips.

This year, drivers have the benefit of cheaper gas prices. 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. 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. Gas prices typically peak in the summer and start coming down when schools go back in session in the fall.

AAA also projects 3.61 million air passengers. 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 percent. AAA booking data (based on what travelers paid when booking Memorial Day weekend flights) shows domestic flights are two percent 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.

The Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as the five-day period from Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26. The five-day holiday length is consistent with previous holiday periods dating back to 2000.

AAA will release state specific travel projections, including numbers for Ohio, next week.