“AAA expects a significant increase in travel during this Memorial Day holiday period,” said AAA's Nick Chavarria.
ARKANSAS, USA — Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching, and AAA says it expects the number of Americans traveling to be the highest ever.
According to a press release, AAA expects about 43.8 million people to travel more than 50 miles from home during the Memorial Day weekend travel period, a figure that AAA said could reach the previous record set in 2005.
Of the 43.8 million projected travelers, 34.8 million are expected to travel by car, according to AAA.
“This Memorial Day weekend is significant for several reasons,” AAA spokesman Nick Chavarria said. “First, Memorial Day travel volume is expected to be the second-busiest for AAA since record-keeping began in 2000, and it also marks the first major holiday with more travel than pre-pandemic 2019.”
According to GasBuddy, a company that crowdsources data from fuel customers across the U.S., a survey revealed that 76% of Americans are planning a road trip between Memorial Day and Labor Day weekend.
Surveys show that 60% of travelers are planning trips over the Memorial Day long weekend.
Gas prices will influence whether people travel over the holidays, said Patrick de Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy.
“Gas prices were a top concern for many people,” de Haan said, “and in fact were a top concern when choosing where to stop and fill up. Of course, with gas prices still relatively high historically, many Americans are trying to limit the cost of filling up with gas.”
De Haan added that there is good news for Arkansans considering taking a road trip over the long weekend.
“The average gasoline price in Arkansas is about 11 cents per gallon lower than it was a month ago,” de Haan said. “Arkansas is the third cheapest state in the nation, with many places across the state where gasoline is under $3.”
De Haan added that national gasoline prices are about 8 cents a gallon lower than a month ago.
Chavarria recommends leaving early on weekends, as the area can get quite busy.
“Thursday or Friday are expected to be the busiest travel days for Memorial Day weekend,” Chavarria said, “and the earlier in the day the better.”
Chavarria added that he expects traffic congestion will be at its worst from midday to around 6 or 7 in the evening.
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