Memorial Day weekend travel expected to be second busiest since 2000
Sleeping with a fan on at night might be an indicator for some that summer is right around the corner, but for others it’s the weekend of Memorial Day, when we honor those who have fought for our country.
Memorial Day holiday travel is expected to rise 4% compared to last year, as 43.8 million expected travelers take to the roads and skies this coming weekend, according to AAA.
This year’s total number of travelers is expected to come close to matching 2005’s record of 44 million Memorial Day travelers.
“We haven’t seen Memorial Day weekend travel numbers like these in almost 20 years,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “We’re projecting an additional one million travelers this holiday weekend compared to 2019, which not only means we’re exceeding pre-pandemic levels but also signals a very busy summer travel season ahead.”
Road trips this weekend are expected to break records, as AAA predicts 38.4 million Americans will travel by car, the highest number for that holiday since AAA began tracking in 2000.
The number of drivers this year is up 4% compared to last year and 1.9% higher than in 2019.
According to Hertz, AAA’s car rental partner, the cities of Orlando, Denver, Atlanta, Boston and Las Vegas are displaying the highest rental demand, with the busiest pick-up days projected to be May 23 and 24.
“We are expecting more than a million travelers in Pennsylvania alone that will be heading out on the road this weekend,” AAA spokesperson Jim Garrity said. “Gasoline prices are stable. Consumer sentiment is high; people are trying to get out more and prioritize leisure travel. When you look across the board, it’s similar to last year in a lot of metrics.”
Road warriors can expect gas prices similar to last year, when the national average was about $3.54 for a gallon of regular gasoline.
That national average as of May 23 stood at $3.61 for a gallon of regular gasoline, while the average in Pennsylvania was $3.77 and the average price in Butler County was $3.80.
The cost of oil has been “pretty table” recently, Garrity said, which is the main driving force behind the gas prices consumers see at the pumps.
“It’s been hovering around the high $70 range per barrel for the last three months,” Garrity said. “We may see higher demand push gas prices a little higher. You might see a 10 to 15 cent jump. It can depend on a lot of circumstances.”
AAA is also predicting a spike in airport travel, with around 3.51 million air travelers, an increase of 4.8% over last year and 9% jump compared to 2019.
This will be the most crowded Memorial Day weekend at airports since 2005, when 3.64 million people took to the skies.
“A lot of that comes down to the airlines offering more availability and places to go,” Garrity said. “I think there are just more places to fly and more excitement to fly.”
About 1.9 million Americans are expected to travel by other modes of transportation such as buses, cruises and trains, which is a 5.6% increase compared to last year.
“This category took the biggest hit during the pandemic with fewer people taking public transportation or not cruising at all,” Twidale said. “Now — five years later — we’re back to 2019 numbers. Travel demand has been soaring, and long holiday weekends create the perfect windows for getaways.”
According to INRIX, which provides transportation and traffic data analysis, drivers who are leaving May 24 are encouraged to hit the road early to avoid mixing with daily commuters.
INRIX reports the best times to leave for the weekend are before 11 a.m. and after 8 p.m. Friday, before 1 p.m. and after 6 p.m. Saturday and before 1 p.m. Sunday.
Todd Wehr, general manager and co-owner of Bear Run Campground in Portersville, said he anticipates the holiday weekend will bring in campers from places as far away as New York, Ohio, West Virginia and even Michigan.
“We get people who are having family reunions and stuff like that,” Wehr said. “We are kind of in a central area for folks. A lot of the people coming will be from out of state.”
Bear Run sits on a little under 60 acres, Wehr said, with about 25 lodging locations throughout the park including rental RVs that stay on site.
It has about 300 camping sites in total, including tent sites, some of which are still available, he said.
Based on the number of reservations he currently has booked for the holiday weekend, Wehr said the campground will be “near capacity” over the next few days.
“We have a great base of campers here,” Wehr said. “Most of the customers we will see this weekend are repeat customers. Then a certain amount have referred people.”
