AAA projects 45 million Memorial Day travelers

AAA said on May 11 that 45 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period, setting what the group described as a record for the weekend. The forecast covers Thursday, May 21, through Monday, May 25, and is slightly above the 44.8 million travelers AAA estimated for the same holiday in 2025. The travel group said 39.1 million people are expected to drive and 3.66 million are expected to fly. Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel, said demand for leisure trips remains strong despite higher fuel prices. ### How much bigger is this year’s holiday forecast? AAA’s 2026 projection is about 44.95 million travelers nationwide, up 0.4% from 44.79 million a year earlier, according to the group’s national holiday table. The increase is small in percentage terms, but it is enough to push the total to a new Memorial Day high in AAA’s data. (newsroom.aaa.com) Montrae Waiters, a spokeswoman for AAA – The Auto Club Group, said the year-over-year gain is the smallest in more than a decade. Waiters said higher fuel prices and persistent inflation may lead some travelers to shorten trips, delay plans or stay closer to home. ### Where are most people going, and how are they getting there? (newsroom.acg.aaa.com) Driving remains the dominant mode of travel, with AAA projecting 39.1 million road travelers, or 87% of the holiday total. Air travel accounts for 3.66 million trips, or about 8%, while another 2.2 million people are expected to travel by bus, train or cruise, up 5% from last year. (newsroom.acg.aaa.com) AAA booking data cited in media reports based on the group’s release show Orlando as the top domestic destination for the holiday weekend, followed by Seattle, New York, Las Vegas and Miami. AAA and INRIX also said the highest-demand car-rental markets include Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver and Boston. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### What does AAA say about costs this year? AAA said gas prices are higher than they were over Memorial Day weekend in 2025, when the national average for regular gasoline stood at $3.17 a gallon. The group said pump prices are now at their highest level since the summer of 2022. (wrnjradio.com) AAA’s booking data showed some relief in other categories. Domestic car rentals are 1% cheaper than a year ago, according to the group, and round-trip domestic flights are 6% cheaper for travelers who booked early, with an average ticket price of $800. AAA said those fares largely reflected bookings made before higher jet fuel prices began feeding into airfare. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### What does the Georgia outlook show? AAA – The Auto Club Group said 1.3 million Georgians are expected to travel at least 50 miles over the same five-day holiday period, which it called a state record for Memorial Day. More than 1.2 million of those travelers are expected to drive, while 120,923 are expected to fly and nearly 31,000 are expected to use other modes. (newsroom.aaa.com) Georgia’s total is listed at 1.37 million in AAA’s state table, up 0.9% from 2025. The Georgia release framed that as record travel, while also saying higher costs have slowed the pace of annual growth. ### What should travelers watch as the weekend approaches? AAA said Thursday and Friday are expected to be the busiest pickup days for rental cars over the holiday weekend. (newsroom.acg.aaa.com) The group also said it handled more than 350,000 roadside assistance calls during Memorial Day weekend last year, many involving dead batteries, flat tires and empty fuel tanks. The Memorial Day travel period in AAA’s forecast begins on Thursday, May 21, and ends on Monday, May 25. Travelers looking for updated fuel averages can check AAA’s gas-price tracker before departure, and the group said drivers should inspect tires, batteries and fluid levels ahead of the holiday. (newsroom.aaa.com)