ST. LOUIS — Highways are about to get even more crowded. AAA says that over 45 million people are expected to travel during Memorial Day weekend, a new record if projections hold true.
In Missouri, over 940,000 people are expected to hit the roads and air, while 2.1 million Illinoisans are expected to travel as well.
“Memorial Day weekend getaways don’t have to be extravagant and costly,” said Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel, in a press release. “While some travelers embark on dream vacations and fly hundreds of miles across the country, many families just pack up the car and drive to the beach or take a road trip to visit friends. Long holiday weekends are ideal for travel because many people have an extra day off work and students are off from school.”
AAA also released the best and worst times to travel by car:
Thursday, May 22
- Worst Time: 1 p.m. - 9 p.m.
- Best Time: Before 12 p.m.
Friday, May 23
- Worst Time: 12 p.m. - 8 p.m.
- Best Time: Before 11 a.m.
Saturday, May 24
- Worst Time: 2 p.m. 6 p.m.
- Best Time: Before 12 p.m.
Sunday, May 25
- Worst Time: 1 p.m. - 5 p.m.
- Best Time: Before 1 p.m.
Monday, May 26 (Memorial Day)
- Worst Time: 4 p.m. - 7 p.m.
- Before 2 p.m.
"AAA projects 3.61 million air passengers, a nearly 2% increase over last year when 3.55 million travelers took to the skies. While this Memorial Day weekend isn’t expected to set an air travel record (that was set back in 2005 with 3.64 million travelers), this year’s numbers are projected to surpass pre-pandemic levels by 12%," the organization said in a press release. "AAA booking data (based on what travelers paid when booking Memorial Day weekend flights) shows domestic flights are 2% more expensive compared to last year, with the average roundtrip ticket costing $850. Most of those flights are to popular destinations like Chicago, New York, Orlando, Denver, and Seattle."
To check current gas prices in Missouri, click here.
To check current gas prices in Illinois, click here.
