Americans are celebrating Memorial Day this weekend, when millions of people will travel despite tight budgets, kicking off the busy summer travel. The Day is observed on the last Monday of May. Essentially the day honors the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military.
Here's how the Memorial Day travel might look like:
ROADTRIPS
** Cheaper gas is pushing more Americans to consider road travel as an alternative.
** About 37.1 million Americans are expected to drive down to their destinations this Memorial Day, a 6% increase compared to 2022, according to data from travel group AAA.
** Car rental prices are down 17% compared to Memorial Day Weekend last year, travel booking website Hopper says.
** Gas prices are 10% lower from a year ago - AAA.
FLIGHTS
** 3.4 million travelers are expected to take a flight for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, an 11% increase year-over-year - AAA.
** Fares for domestic air travel have fallen this Memorial Day with prices down 26%, or nearly $100, compared to last year. -Hopper
** International travel, on the other hand, will be the most expensive in 5 years with a 50% increase in prices year-over-year to Europe. – Hopper
** Airfare to Asia is 70% more expensive when compared to 2019 prices. – Hopper
** Seat capacity at airlines are set to be 17% higher than Memorial Day weekend last year. - Hopper
CRUISES, BUSES & TRAINS
** About 1.85 million Americans are expected to take buses, trains and cruises, an increase of about 21% compared to last year, data from AAA showed.
** Domestic cruise bookings for the upcoming weekend are up 50% compared to 2022 - AAA.
** 2023 cruise cabins bookings are up 54.25% year-over-year, according to data from online cruise marketplace Cruise Compete.
** Bus fares too have fallen, down as much as 37% on average versus last year, according to travel search platform Wanderu.
** Train fares, on the other hand, have nearly doubled in comparison to 2022 - Wanderu.
** Despite increased fares, trains across the U.S. are expected to have over 213,800 riders during the upcoming long weekend, which is a 54.9% increase from last year, according to Amtrak, the national passenger railroad company.
