AARP Hearing Center
A record number of travelers are expected on the nation’s roads and in airports for the Memorial Day holiday, according to AAA, despite concerns over economic uncertainty and airline challenges.
AAA recommends that travelers over 50 – 70 percent of whom plan to travel in 2025, according to AARP’s Travel Trends Survey – plan the “route ahead of time, especially for older drivers,” says Aixa Diaz, AAA spokesperson. She suggests mapping the trip out, rather than blindly relying on GPS. “If there’s a car crash on the interstate and you can take a detour, it’s nice to at least have a general idea of where you’re going and the nearest rest areas or exits.”
The club projects 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday, May 22, and Monday, May 26. That’s an increase of 1.4 million travelers compared to last Memorial Day weekend, enough to shatter the previous record, set in 2005, by 1.1 million.
“When we look at what people are willing to spend their money on, travel is always on top of the list because of that emotional component. This is how people connect with family and friends,” Diaz says. “With so much going on in the world, and just with our daily lives, the escape that travel gives people is part of the whole mental health package.”
This is in line with the findings of AARP’s survey, which revealed that 95 percent of travelers 50-plus believe travel is good for their mental health. Those surveyed ranked time with family or friends, getting away from everyday life and finding time to relax and rejuvenate as top travel motivators.
Record road trips and gas prices
With rising prices top of mind, it’s no surprise that road trips will account for 87 percent of the weekend’s holiday travel, leading to a new Memorial Day car travel record with a projected 39.4 million drivers on the road. “Road trips tend to be the most economical way to travel for many people,” Diaz says. “They’re easy, and they can be as cheap or as expensive as you want them to be.”
It helps that national average gas prices are forecasted at $3.08 per gallon on Memorial Day, down 50 cents from last year, according to GasBuddy, a fuel savings platform.
“Americans are a little bit uneasy about the economy,” says Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy’s head of petroleum analysis. The lower cost, he says, means “a lot of savings for Americans collectively over the five-day weekend.”
De Haan says crude oil costs and increased oil production influenced this prediction and boosted hope for a sub-$3 per gallon national average toward the end of summer.
