MIAMI — A record 2.5 million Floridians plan to travel by car or by air over the long holiday weekend, according to AAA travel forecasts.
That's 126,500 more vacationers than last year's record. The club predicts that 2.3 million of Florida's travelers will travel more than 50 miles by car, and more than 224,000 will travel by plane.
AAA expects Memorial Day weekend travel to be the second-highest on record nationwide, with about 43.8 million Americans traveling 50 miles or more, just shy of the 2005 record high of 44 million.
“Memorial Day will mark the start of a very busy summer for travel,” Debbie Haas, AAA vice president of travel, said in a news release. “American travel is expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels, and the Memorial Day holiday weekend will be the busiest in nearly 20 years.”
Even as gas prices inched higher — Florida's average gas price on Thursday was $3.55 a gallon, up from $3.41 at the same time last year — record road travel is expected in Florida and across the nation, with about 38.4 million Americans taking to the roads, 1.5 million more than last year. Additionally, Memorial Day weekend is expected to be the busiest weekend for airports since 2005.
During the spring break travel rush earlier this year, Orlando International Airport saw its busiest day ever on March 16, with more than 200,000 travelers passing through TSA checkpoints.
While Floridians may be driving or flying to other parts of the state and the country, Orlando tops the list of domestic travel destinations for tourists this weekend, according to AAA booking data, with New York, Las Vegas, Miami, Denver, Anchorage and Southern California also rounding out the top 10 destinations.
Average airfare and gas prices are both slightly higher in 2024 than in 2023, while hotel rates for Memorial Day weekend are 5% lower than last year. Domestic car rental rates are also about 17% lower than last year, with the average total cost being $439 (usually for a few days).
Using data from Inrix, AAA recommends that drivers leaving on Thursday or Friday leave early, before 11 a.m., to avoid the worst of the traffic. For drivers returning home on Saturday or Sunday, the best travel time is before 1 p.m. On Mondays, it's recommended to drive after 7 p.m. to have the best chance of avoiding traffic. On all travel days, evenings should be less crowded for road trippers.
This weekend, AAA is launching its “Tow to Go” program in Florida and select other states to help prevent drunk drivers from getting behind the wheel. AAA members and non-members can use a tow truck to transport vehicles and owners to a safe location within a 10-mile radius from 6 p.m. Friday through 6 a.m. Tuesday. Floridians can call 855-2-TOW-2-GO or 855-286-9246 for a safe ride.
As travelers make plans for this summer and beyond, AAA has identified bucket list, milestone, solo travel, luxury vacations, trains, wilderness adventures and Asian travel as top trends for upcoming travel bookings.
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