Memorial Day will be busy this year as AAA predicts 39.2 million people will travel 50 miles or more for the holiday, an increase of 8.3 percent over 2021 which saw 36.2 million travelers.
The bulk of holiday travelers will drive with nearly 35 million hitting the road, about 89 percent of all travelers. Air travel will increase 25 percent over last year, totaling more than three million.
Travel in the other category, bus, train or cruise ship, will increase 300 percent, with more than one million traveling.
“Over the years, strong Memorial Day travel proved an accurate predictor of busy summer travel,” said Robert Sinclair, Jr., of AAA Northeast. “Based on our projections, summer travel will be very busy.”
Some highlights of the Memorial Day projections include…
- Air—AAA finds that the average lowest airfare is six percent more than last year coming in at $184.
- Hotels—Mid-range hotel rates have increased 42 percent, with the average nightly rates ranging between $199 to $257 per night for AAA Approved Two- and Three-Diamond Hotels.
- Car Rentals—Daily car rental rates have decreased 16 percent compared to last year, with the average lowest rate coming in at $100 per day.
Based on AAA booking data, Thursday, May 26, will be the busiest day for air travel during the Memorial Day travel period (May 26 through May 30) with Monday, May 30, being the lightest.
For those hitting the road, Thursday (May 26) and Friday (May 27) are anticipated to be peak traffic days. AAA expects to respond to more than 388,000 calls from broken down drivers over the Memorial Day weekend. Drivers should get key components checked including the battery, fuel system, tires, brakes and fluid levels.
AAA booking data reveals the top destinations this Memorial Day, both domestically and abroad:
DOMESTIC:
Orlando, Florida
Seattle, Washington
Miami, Florida
Las Vegas, Nevada
Anaheim, California
INTERNATIONAL:
Vancouver, Canada
Dublin, Ireland
Paris, France
Rome, Italy
London, England
AAA Northeast is a nonprofit auto club with 71 offices in Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Connecticut, New Jersey, New Hampshire and New York, providing more than six million local AAA members with travel, insurance, finance and auto-related services.
