Memorial Day: 45 Million Americans Will Travel at Least 50 Miles from Home This Weekend

Memorial Day: 45 Million Americans Will Travel at Least 50 Miles from Home This Weekend

There’s exciting news today for GAS STATIONS:  A lot of Americans will be hitting up the pumps this weekend.

Triple-A released its Memorial Day travel report, and they’re predicting a RECORD number of Americans will travel this year.

They expect 45 million people to travel this year, up a notch from 2025. The record is 44.8 million, set last year.  (They only count people traveling at least 50 miles from home.  If you’re only driving 49 miles, no one cares.)

It has not been a gradual climb over time.  Before last year, the previous record was 44 million, which was set in 2005.  (Obviously, there were a couple of low travel years during the pandemic.)

39.1 million will drive this year . . . 3.7 million will fly . . . and 2.2 million will use some other form of transportation, like buses or trains.

Vehicle and air travel are expected to be UP from last year, but just barely.  However, the “other” category is supposed to be up more than 5% . . . possibly due to high gas prices.

The national average for a gallon of regular gas was $3.17 on Memorial Day weekend last year.  Currently, the national average is $4.56.

You should also choose your departure time wisely to avoid traffic jams. In general, there tends to be less traffic early in the morning.  If you leave around noon, expect delays.

(AAA)