Memorial Day marks the first summer vacation for Michiganders, with nearly 1.3 million Michiganders planning to travel to mark the unofficial start of summer, according to AAA Michigan.
AAA said the forecast exceeds pre-pandemic levels and is the second-highest travel forecast for Michigan since AAA began tracking in 2000.
The agency reported that 1.29 million people will travel, including 1.17 million by land, more than 69,000 by air, and nearly 60,000 by other modes of transportation.
Nationally, AAA predicts that nearly 43.8 million Americans will travel over Memorial Day weekend, making it the second-highest number of Memorial Day travelers on record. ing.
“Memorial Day will be the start of a very busy summer of travel,” said Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA (Auto Club Group). “American travel is projected to exceed pre-pandemic levels, making Memorial Day weekend the busiest in nearly 20 years. A key driver of this forecast is domestic and international travel. Consumer interest in international travel is at its highest level in recent years.
“Traveling by car is appealing to many people because of its convenience and flexibility,” said Adrian Woodland, spokesperson for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “But Memorial Day drivers may have to pay more for gas.”
The state's average gas price two weeks before Memorial Day is $3.64 per gallon. Last year's Memorial Day average was $3.60 per gallon.
According to AAA, here are the best and worst times to travel.
- Thursday, May 23 – 12pm to 6pm (worst time), before 11am and after 7pm (best time)
- Friday, May 24th – 12pm to 7pm (worst time), before 11am and after 8pm (best time)
- Saturday, May 25th – 2pm to 5pm (worst time), before 1pm and after 6pm (best time)
- Sunday, May 26th – 3pm to 7pm (worst time), before 1pm (best time)
- Monday, May 27th – 3pm to 7pm (worst time), after 7pm (best time)
The busiest road in Detroit is I-94, which runs eastbound between Kalamazoo and Detroit.
