It’s not too late to make travel plans for the Memorial Day holiday, but you will have a lot of company.
AAA, which provides road service, insurance and travel services, projects more than 38 million Americans will travel this Memorial Day weekend. the second-highest volume on record for that period and the most since 2005.
The holiday travel period is generally considered as Thursday to Monday.
Here are seven things to know about Memorial Day travel:
- The top five destinations are: Orlando, Myrtle Beach, Washington, D.C., New York and Miami.
- In Georgia, more than 1.11 million people are expected to travel over the holiday period, up from 1.09 million in 2015.
- The increase is led by the lowest gas prices in 11 years and a strong labor market, which serves to boost income and spending.
- Nationally, 33.9 million U.S. residents will drive, 2.6 million will fly and 1.6 million will use other modes of transportation, including trains, buses and cruises.
- Average airfares for the holiday weekend are 26 percent lower than the same time last year ($165 compared to $222).
- Car rental rates are a dollar lower than last year.
- 3 Diamond Hotel rates ($183) are $1 more than last year. Most travelers stay in 3 Diamond properties. The highest is 5 Diamonds.
