A record 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period from Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26, AAA projects. That would be an increase of 1.4 million travelers from last year â the previous record was set in 2005 with 44 million travelers.
Road trips are also expected to set a new record: AAA projects 39.4 million people will travel by car, an additional 1 million from last year. Drivers have the benefit of cheaper gas prices, at $3.14. Last Memorial Day, the national average for a gallon of regular was $3.59.
AAA car rental partner Hertz said Friday, May 23 is expected to be the busiest day for pickup. The cities seeing the highest demand for rental cars include Orlando, Denver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, and Seattle â all cities in AAAâs Top Destinations list.
AAA projects 3.61 million air travelers, a nearly 2% increase over last year. It’s not a record â that was also in 2005 â but would surpass pre-pandemic levels by 12%. The group’s booking data shows domestic flights are 2% more expensive compared to last year, with the average roundtrip ticket at $850.Â
Most of those flights are to popular destinations like Chicago, New York, Orlando, Denver, and Seattle.
Travel by other modes continues to steadily rise post-pandemic. AAA projects 2.08 million people will travel by train, bus, or cruise, an 8.5% increase. This category is now surpassing pre-pandemic numbers from 2018 and 2019, but doesnât reach the record numbers of the early 2000s when more people were choosing trains and buses post 9/11.Â
Cruisingâs growing popularity is highlighted by the strong demand for Alaska cruises this season. Top domestic cruise destinations for Memorial Day weekend include Fairbanks, Anchorage, and Juneau. Overall, travelers are turning to cruises in record numbers. Earlier this year, AAA projected that a record 19 million Americans planned to take cruises in 2025.Â
Top Memorial Day Weekend Destinations
Orlando tops the list of domestic locations, based on AAA booking data for trips between Thursday, May 22 and Monday, May 26, while Rome was the top international destination.
Top Domestic Locations:
- Orlando, FL
- Seattle, WA
- New York, NY
- Las Vegas, NV
- Miami, FL
- San Francisco, CA
Top International Locations:
- Rome, Italy
- Vancouver, Canada
- Paris, France
- London, England
- Athens, Greece
- Dublin, Ireland