36.1 Million People Besides You Are Traveling This Memorial Day Weekend

If you were planning on hitting the road this Memorial Day weekend, prepare for plenty of company: AAA expects 36.1 million people to travel more than 50 miles away from home this weekend, with 88% of them driving to their destinations.

The expected volume of travelers is up 1.5 percent from last year. This weekend’s travel data also marks the second-highest figure since 2000, according to the AAA’s annual Memorial Day travel forecast.

AAA attributed the boost in travel to a rebounding economy and a particularly long winter.

“The winter blues appear to have given Americans the travel bug and a case of cruise cabin fever as travel for the holiday is expected to hit a new post-recession high,” said COO Marshall Doney.

AAA also forecasts that gas prices will go down between now and Memorial Day. However, other travel expenses, like car rentals and hotel rates, will rise slightly.