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.
- TIME's 100 Most Influential People of 2022
- Employers Take Note: Young Workers Are Seeking Jobs with a Higher Purpose
- Signs Are Pointing to a Slowdown in the Housing Market—At Last
- Welcome to the Era of Unapologetic Bad Taste
- As the Virus Evolves, COVID-19 Reinfections Are Going to Keep Happening
- A New York Mosque Becomes a Refuge for Afghan Teens Who Fled Without Their Families
- High Gas Prices are Oil Companies' Fault says Ro Khanna, and Democrats Should Go After Them
- Two Million Cases: COVID-19 May Finally Force North Korea to Open Up
