AAA warns that tens of millions of people will be on the roads and in the skies this weekend, the unofficial start of summer.
AAA Northeast predicts that 43.8 million travelers will travel more than 80 miles from home during the Memorial Day holiday travel period, May 23-27. That's a 4% increase from last year and exceeds pre-pandemic levels for the first time.
“We can expect to see a lot of traffic congestion on our roads and in our skies this Memorial Day weekend,” said Mark Seildrop, senior public information officer for AAA Northeast. “We expect an additional 1 million more travelers this weekend compared to 2019. This not only means we are coming out of a pandemic-era lull, but also a very busy summer travel season. It means that it is coming.”
Road trips are expected to set records this year, with AAA predicting that more than 38 million people will travel by car over Memorial Day weekend, the most for the holiday since AAA began tracking the data in 2000.
AAA predicts that 3.51 million people will travel somewhere this weekend by plane, and nearly 2 million people will travel by other means of transportation such as buses, trains and cruises, so airports will also see a huge increase in travellers. We are preparing for a surge.
Best and worst times to drive
AAA said drivers departing on Thursday or Friday can expect the heaviest traffic in the afternoon, when tourists and commuters mix, according to data from transportation analytics firm INRIX.
Travelers returning home on Sunday or Monday should avoid the afternoon hours when return travel is likely to be at its peak.
Here are the best and worst times to travel by car for each day of the weekend.
Thursday, May 23rd
Worst time: 12:00 to 18:00
Best time: before 11am, after 7pm
Friday, May 24th
Worst time: 12pm to 7pm
Best time: before 11am, after 8pm
Saturday, May 25
Worst time of day: 2pm to 5pm
Best time: Before 1pm, after 6pm
Sunday, May 26th
Worst time: 3pm to 7pm
Best time: Before 1pm
Monday, May 27th
Worst time: 3pm to 7pm
Best time: After 7pm
popular destinations
According to AAA data, travelers are looking for theme parks and entertainment venues in Orlando, New York, Las Vegas and California. Florida beaches and cruise ports are also expected to be crowded.
According to AAA reservations data, the top 10 domestic destinations are Orlando, Florida; Seattle, Washington. New York, New York; Las Vegas, Nevada. Anaheim/Los Angeles, California. Denver, Colorado. Anchorage, Alaska. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Miami, Florida; and Boston, Massachusetts.
Hertz reports that the highest demand for rental cars this weekend will be in Orlando, Denver, Atlanta, Boston and Las Vegas.
According to AAA booking data, the top 10 international destinations this weekend are Rome, Italy. Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. London, United Kingdom; Paris, France; Dublin, Ireland; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Athens, Greece; Barcelona, Spain; St. George, Bermuda. and Edinburgh, Scotland.
Boston's peak congestion
According to AAA, peak traffic on Interstate 93 southbound from Manchester to Boston will be at 8:45 a.m. Sunday. It takes approximately 1 hour and 48 minutes to increase by 50% compared to normal.
