With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, travelers from Iowa are expected to travel in record or near-record numbers.
Brian Ortner of AAA Iowa said the auto club expects more than 3.6 million people across the Midwest to travel more than 50 miles during this long weekend, 13 more than last year. He said the number of people has increased by 6,000.
“Memorial Day travel numbers will be the second highest since AAA began tracking in 2000,” Ortner said. “So if you go back to 2005, you're seeing numbers this high. What's great is that the number of travelers has increased every year since the pandemic.”
Although the majority of vacationers will be traveling by car, Ortner said gas prices in Iowa are more than 10 cents a gallon cheaper than they were a year ago.
“Gasoline prices in Iowa averaged about $3.38 per gallon over the Memorial Holiday weekend last year,” Ortner said. “Right now, the average gas price across the state is $3.24, so that's down from last year.”
Ortner says this is welcome news because vacations can be expensive for families on a budget, with gas being one of the biggest expenses.
“I hope drivers can be confident that they will see similar numbers to last year,” Ortner said. “They shouldn't face too many surprises.”
For Iowans traveling by air, the average cost of a round-trip domestic ticket is $778, a 2% increase from last year's Memorial Day weekend, according to AAA.
(Reporting by Pat Powers, KQWC, Webster City)
