Mass. — We are just days away from Memorial Day weekend—and the unofficial start to summer. That also means more traffic. The holiday traffic is expected to pick up Thursday and go through Monday. AAA is predicting more people will be driving or flying this year than in 2019, exceeding pre-pandemic levels.
Buckle up—Memorial Day weekend is just days away—and people are looking for a quick escape.
“Celebrating, finishing school, we’re seniors, it’s really nice out so we just took advantage of it,” said Lyla Fagan, a UNH graduate.
AAA expects 38 million people will drive for the long weekend—which is the highest since 2000, when it began tracking this type of data.
“Coming out of the pandemic people had a backlog of trips that they wanted to take and I think they’re still getting to them and some folks added to their bucket list and some folks just really want to spend this quality time with family and friends,” said Alec Slatky, a AAA Northeast spokesperson. “And I think we’re also seeing a trend of people wanting to spend more on experiences rather than goods.”
For the airports, there will be a 5% increase in travelers, the most crowded Memorial Day weekend at airports since 2005. But not everyone is going far. Andrea Demetrius says she cut back on her vacation plans this year.
“No, not this time, it is getting kind of pricey, so I’m going to stay local,” said Demetrius of Norwood.
Gas prices are helping fuel the travel rush, as they have been coming down lately. Here locally, the current average is $3.55 for a gallon of regular unleaded. That’s two cents cheaper than a week ago and also five cents less than the national average. At this time last year, Massachusetts drivers were paying $3.44 a gallon.
“That’s not necessarily good news for consumers but I don’t think it’s a big enough difference to put a dent in people’s travel plans especially when memories of $5 gas in 2022 were so fresh,” said Slatky.
Slatky believes gas prices may have already hit their seasonal peak, but drivers like Andrea are keeping an eye on their budgets.
“This is my second vehicle so it’s like it try to use this one mostly because the other one is an SUV just to save a cost on the little bit,” said Demetrius.
But whether is saving or splurging, some are getting a jumpstart on the unofficial start to summer.
“I’m leaving right now,” said Fagan.
Every year, AAA services drivers for things like a dead battery or flat tire. Slatky recommends doing some TLC on your car and do a quick check, for example, make sure you have good tire pressure and enough gas in the tank to keep everyone safe.
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