Memorial Day: More people traveling this year, and trips to Europe up
May 26, 2017
About 39.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home this Memorial Day weekend, AAA projects. That’s 1 million more travelers than last year, making it the highest Memorial Day travel volume since 2005.
How they’re traveling
- 34.6 million Americans, 88.1 percent of travelers, will drive to their destinations, an increase of 2.4 percent over last year.
- 2.9 million Americans will fly this Memorial Day, increasing air travel by 5.5 percent over last year.
- 1.75 million travelers, an increase 2.9 percent from 2016, will look to other modes of transportation, including cruises, trains, and buses.
Drivers will pay the highest Memorial Day gas prices since 2015. Airfares, car rental rates , and mid-range hotels will all be higher than last Memorial Day.
Many Memorial Day vacationers traveling abroad this year
While most travelers are planning a Memorial Day road trip, many other Americans will take advantage of the long holiday weekend and travel internationally, with Europe especially popular this year. The top destinations for Memorial Day weekend, based on AAA travel bookings, are:
- Orlando, Florida
- Rome
- London
- Dublin
- Vancouver, Canada
- Seattle
- Las Vegas
- New York
- Paris
- Honolulu
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