AAA Predicting Record Travel Weekend This Memorial Day

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and Triple-A expects Americans will kick off the unofficial start of the summer season by traveling in near-record numbers.

According to AAA, more than 41.5 million Americans will travel this Memorial Day weekend.

That’s nearly 5 percent more than last year and the most since 2005.

About 36 million of those travelers will drive.

Despite that, Triple-A spokesman Mark Jenkins says motorists are still expected to take to the road for the holiday weekend.

“Gas prices are higher. People will be spending about $6 more for a full tank of gas, but that’s not going to stop people from traveling this Memorial Day,” Jenkins said. “This is the kick-off for the summer season, the economy is still good, and overall people are ready to roam.”

The national price for a gallon of gas is $2.87, about 50-cents more than this time last year.

Although holiday prices at the pump are projected to be the highest in four years, AAA does not expect gasoline to come anywhere near 2014-levels, where the national average was $3.66.

If you are expecting to travel over the Memorial Day weekend, Jenkins advises you avoid peak travel hours, and he says it’s a good idea to make sure you vehicle is in good working order before you hit the road.

“The busiest travel days over the holiday weekend will be Thursday and Friday because you’ll have that mix of travelers and commuters,” Jenkins noted. “So if you want avoid that, try not to be on the highways between 3p -7p. AAA will be out in full force over the Memorial Day weekend. We expect to rescue more than 340,000 stranded motorists. So if you are getting ready to hit the road, before you do, get your vehicle inspected to catch any problems that might be lurking under that hood.”

2018 will mark the fourth consecutive year of overall travel volume growth over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.