If you're planning a trip over the long holiday weekend, you're in good company. More than 38 million Americans are expected to travel over the Memorial Day break, the holiday's second-highest travel volume on record.
Experts at AAA project there will be more travelers this Memorial Day weekend than at any point since 2005.
Nearly 34 million of these travelers will drive to their destinations. AAA Travel consultant Angela Wawrzynek told WBFO low gas prices are a major factor. True, fuel prices have been increasing in recent months. But they're still down about 45 cents when compared to a year earlier.
“There’s going to be approximately 700,000 more people traveling this year compared to last,” she said.
Air travel is also expected to increase 1.6 percent over last year. Wawrzynek said violence in some foreign countries does not appear to have had a major impact on travel, even though some clients have expressed concerns.
“It really does need to come down to personal preference whether or not you feel as if you still want to travel over there,” she said. “Unfortunately, we do live in a society now where when we do travel, these are some of the different things that we do have to keep in mind.”
When it comes to domestic travel, Washington D.C., Myrtle Beach and national parks are popular pit stops. The National Park Service is celebrating 100 years of service.
“If you are looking for that quick getaway, Orlando is still our number one destination,” Wawrzynek said.
Popular destinations among Western New Yorkers for long-weekend adventures include the Adirondacks and Finger Lakes.
WBFO's Matthew Neidhart contributed to this report.
