AAA forecasts 45 million travelers

Memorial Day travel is getting even bigger. AAA now expects 45 million Americans to go at least 50 miles from home between Wednesday, May 21, and Sunday, May 25. That would edge past last year and set a new Memorial Day weekend record. The story here is simple — people are still willing to spend on a quick getaway, even when the trip itself feels more crowded and a little more expensive. ### What exactly did AAA forecast? AAA’s new forecast puts total Memorial Day travel at 45 million people. That covers all domestic trips of 50 miles or more during the five-day holiday window. It’s a record for the holiday, and it’s only slightly above 2025’s 45.1 million-style pace from the recent run-up in travel demand — basically proof that the appetite for long weekends has not cooled off yet. ### How many people are actually driving? Driving still dominates by a mile. AAA expects 39.1 million people to travel by car, or about 87% of all Memorial Day travelers. That’s why the headline number matters for roads more than airports — when holiday travel grows, the biggest pain usually shows up on highways leaving major metro areas Thursday and Friday afternoon. AAA also noted that last Memorial Day weekend it handled more than 350,000 roadside-assistance calls, which tells you how much strain these trips put on cars as well as traffic. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### What about flights? Air travel is smaller, but still huge. AAA projects 3.66 million domestic air travelers over the holiday. Its booking data shows roundtrip domestic tickets averaging about $800, which is actually 6% cheaper than last year for trips booked in advance. The catch is timing — those fares were largely locked in before higher jet-fuel costs started feeding into airline pricing, so late bookers may not feel quite as lucky. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### Are gas prices helping or hurting? They’re hurting more than last year, but not enough to stop people. AAA says pump prices are the highest they’ve been since the summer of 2022, and that’s a real change from Memorial Day 2025, when cheaper gas helped support a bigger road-trip mood. Even so, people are still choosing the car because it remains the most flexible and usually the cheapest way for families to travel on a long weekend. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### When will traffic be worst? The ugly windows are pretty clear. INRIX expects the heaviest congestion on Thursday and Friday from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., plus Monday afternoon as people head home. Sunday should be the lightest traffic day if nothing unusual happens. That pattern matters more than the raw traveler count — a record weekend does not mean every hour is equally bad, but it does mean the bad hours will feel very bad. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### Where is rental-car demand hottest? Rental demand is clustering in classic leisure markets. Hertz, AAA’s car-rental partner, expects Thursday and Friday to be the busiest pickup days, with Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, and Boston topping demand. That gives you a quick read on where travelers are going — theme parks, warm-weather destinations, big-city getaways, and easy flight-to-road-trip combinations. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### Why does this matter beyond one weekend? Because Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the summer travel season. If 45 million people are still willing to travel despite pricier gas and packed roads, that’s a strong signal for airlines, hotels, rental-car companies, and tourist destinations heading into June and July. It also suggests households are still protecting leisure spending even when other parts of the budget feel tighter. (newsroom.aaa.com) ### Bottom line This is not just a holiday-traffic story. It’s a demand story. Americans are still taking the trip — and for now, higher prices are changing how they travel more than whether they travel at all. (newsroom.aaa.com)