Memorial Day weekend travel to set record; See the best times to hit the road

The Memorial Day weekend is still two weeks off, but the AAA is already warning of roads and airports packed with holiday travelers.

More than 45 million people are expected to travel domestically, according to the AAA, which defines the holiday weekend as Thursday, May 22, through Monday, May 26. Those travelers will take trips at least 50 miles from home, AAA said in a statement Monday. 

This year’s domestic travel forecast is an increase of 1.4 million travelers compared to last year, and is expected to set a new Memorial Day weekend record, AAA said.

"Despite concerns over rising prices, many Americans are planning to take advantage of the holiday, even if the trips are closer to home," AAA Northeast spokesman Robert Sinclair said in a statement.

Road trips will be the hottest ticket on the travel market, the AAA said, with 39.4 million — or, 87% of all Memorial Day weekend travelers in America — opting to go someplace by motor vehicle, 1 million more than did so in 2024. That boom, according to the AAA, is in part due to cheaper gas prices.

The average pump price in the New York City-metro area is down 68 cents a gallon from the same time last year, the AAA said.

Domestic air travel is expected to account for about 3.61 million travelers over the holiday weekend, an increase of more than a half a million compared to last year. The spike comes despite booking data from the AAA showing ticket prices have increased at least 2%.

An additional 2.08 million people are expected to travel by train, bus or cruise ship — an 8.5% increase over last year's numbers, AAA said.

Top Memorial Day weekend destinations include Anchorage in Alaska, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Las Vegas, Miami, Orlando in Florida, San Francisco and Seattle. And for those coming from out of state — New York City.

International hot-spot destinations are Athens, Barcelona, Dublin, Edinburgh in Scotland, London, Paris, Rome, Southampton in England and Vancouver, British Columbia.

The worst time to travel by car will be between 1 and 9 p.m. on May 22, 12 to 8 p.m. on May 23, 2 to 6 p.m. on May 24, 1 to 5 p.m. on May 25, and 4 to 7 p.m. on May 26, according to the AAA.

The best times to drive those days? It’s all prediction, but the AAA said before noon on most of those holiday weekend days will be the best time to drive — though on May 23 it recommends driving before 11 a.m., and before 1 p.m. on May 25 and before 2 p.m. on May 26. 

By John Valenti

john.valenti@newsday.com

John Valenti, a reporter at Newsday since 1981, has been honored nationally by the Associated Press and Society of the Silurians for investigative, enterprise and breaking news reporting, as well as column writing, and is the author of “Swee'pea,” a book about former New York playground basketball star Lloyd Daniels. Valenti is featured in the Emmy Award-winning ESPN 30-for-30 film “Big Shot.”