AAA forecasts record-breaking Memorial Day weekend travel surge

BAKERSFIELD, Calif–KBAK/KBFX — One of the biggest travel days is underway, as the Auto Club predicts that this Memorial Day weekend will shatter records, with nearly 4 million travelers around the country and almost 3.5 million traveling 50 or more miles.

AAA says this Memorial Day weekend is a record-breaking travel year for Southern California residents.

“So what we know is that the most visited will be Las Vegas, San Diego, and the Grand Canyon area,” AAA Public Affairs Senior Specialist Gianella Ghiglino said. “We will see an increase in traffic. And of course, during rush hour and always heading to cities, big cities, we’re always going to see an increase in traffic.”

AAA continues by saying 38.4 million are traveling by car nationally, an increase of 4 percent compared to last year and nearly two percent higher than in 2019. 3.5 million will travel by airplane. Meanwhile, nine million people will use other modes of transportation, an increase of 5.6 percent compared to last year.

“So since 2,019 was the last time we broke another record. So we’re seeing a lot of people traveling. A lot of people may be taking the vacations that they didn’t get to take two years ago,” Ghiglino said. “And so the travel industry is definitely having a bounce back this year.”

According to Inrix, the best time to leave to avoid the traffic blues is Friday after 7 p.m. On Saturday and Sunday, it’s best to leave before 1 p.m. and after 6 p.m. on Saturday.

On your way back from your Memorial Day holiday trip, it’s best to return before 3 p.m. and after 7 in the evening.

According to GasBuddy, travelers pumping gas can expect to pay around $5.15 a gallon for unleaded gas. That’s 51 cents more than last year when drivers paid $4.65 for a gallon.

Why is this? An uptake in refinery maintenance during the spring is the reason, but GasBuddy says maintenance has, for the most part, wrapped up without any problems.

“We may not see that, Spike, but the good news is that the worst may be behind us now, [and] there are some caveats. Obviously, if there’s a refiner malfunction in the middle of summer, we could go up back above the five dollar mark,” Gasbuddy’s Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan said. “But I think typically gas prices peak, not in the summer, but in the spring, because of that maintenance, and because of the change over to summer gasoline at the same time.”

To find the cheapest gas prices in your vicinity, click here.