Memorial Day is just two weeks away, kicking off the summer travel season and it’s going to be a busy weekend, according to AAA. They predict that 45.1-million Americans will be traveling over the holiday weekend, which is on the early side this year, and starts on May 22nd.
- That’s an increase of 1.4-million travelers from last year, and it’s a new record for Memorial Day weekend, beating 2005’s previous record of 44-million people.
- As usual, most people will be hitting the road over the weekend, with 39.4-million Americans driving to their destination.
- Road trippers definitely want to pack their patience because traffic will be heavy, with AAA and INRIX predicting the peak congestion will be in the afternoons and evenings that Thursday and Friday.
- But driving isn’t the only mode of travel for Memorial Day, another 36.1-million folks will be flying that weekend.
- According to AAA, 2.08-million people will also be traveling by train, bus or cruise over the holiday weekend.
The best times to travel by car:
- Just like with any holiday weekend, flexibility is helpful and hitting the road in the morning is ideal.
- On Thursday of Memorial Day weekend, AAA recommends leaving before noon to avoid the heaviest traffic. On that Friday, the ideal time to start driving is before 11a.m.
- When coming home at the end of the weekend, starting the road trip before 1p.m. on Sunday and before 2p.m. on Memorial Day is advised.
And the worst times for car travel:
- Roads are expected to be the most congested during the afternoons, especially in major metro areas like Atlanta, Boston, Los Angeles, New York and Washington, D.C.
- The worst traffic is expected from 1p.m. to 9p.m. Thursday of the holiday weekend, from noon to 8p.m. that Friday, and from 2p.m. to 6p.m. on Saturday.
- For the return trip home, traffic will be heavy from 1p.m. to 5p.m. that Sunday and from 4p.m. to 7p.m. on Memorial Day.
Source: USA Today