AAA projects 45.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Memorial Day holiday period from May 22 to May 26. This year’s domestic travel forecast is an increase of 1.4 million travelers compared to last year and sets a new Memorial Day weekend record. The previous record was set back in 2005 with 44 million people. Despite concerns over rising prices, many Americans say they’re taking advantage of the long holiday weekend to spend time with loved ones, even if the trips are closer to home.
“Memorial Day weekend getaways don’t have to be extravagant and costly,” said Stacey Barber, VP, AAA Travel. “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.”
The top holiday destinations listed below are based on AAA booking data for trips between May 22 and May 26. Orlando tops the domestic list thanks to its popular theme parks and nearby cruise port, Port Canaveral. Cruising is also the reason Seattle and Anchorage made the top 10 list, since Memorial Day kicks off peak Alaska cruise season. Internationally, Rome is the number-one destination. Vancouver is also popular because of its cruise port. The rest of the list is made up of all European cities, as those destinations continue to draw high volumes of visitors.
Domestic:
- Orlando
- Seattle
- New York
- Las Vegas
- Miami
- San Francisco
- Anchorage
- Chicago
- Denver
- Boston
International/Caribbean:
- Rome
- Vancouver
- Paris
- London
- Athens
- Dublin
- Barcelona
- Southampton, England
- Amsterdam
- Edinburgh
