Memorial Day Weekend Travel Tips

Planning on heading out for the long holiday weekend? You won't be alone AAA is projecting more than 38 million Americans will be traveling Memorial Day weekend – with an estimated 844,000 right here in Massachusetts.

According to AAA, those number will make this weekend the second-highest Memorial Day travel volume on record and the most since 2015.

The agency says 700,000 more people than last year will be traveling in part due to the lowest gas prices in more than a decade, as well as the strong labor market and rising personal income.

“Americans are eagerly awaiting the start of summer and are ready to travel in numbers not seen in more than a decade,” said Mary Maguire, AAA northeast director of public and legislative affairs in a statement released last week. “The great American road trip is officially back thanks to low gas prices, and millions of people from coast to coast are ready to kick off summer with a Memorial Day getaway.”

Some Facts on Memorial Day Travel from AAA:

• Low gas prices driving increase in auto travel this Memorial Day: AAA says 89 percent holiday travelers will drive to their Memorial Day destinations, an increase of 2.1 percent over last year as a result of lower gas prices. Air travel is expected to increase 1.6 percent over last year, with 2.6 million Americans taking to the skies this Memorial Day. Travel by other modes of transportation, including cruises, trains and buses, will fall 2.3 percent, to 1.6 million travelers.

• Massachusetts families expected to travel more: AAA estimates that 844,000 Massachusetts residents plan to travel overMemorial Day, 786,000 of them by car. Both numbers mirror national trends as the highest seen locally since 2005.

• AAA to rescue more than 350,000 motorists this Memorial Day: AAA expects to rescue more than 350,000 motorists during the MemorialDay holiday travel period, with the primary reasons being dead batteries, lockouts and flat tires. AAA recommends motorists check the condition of their battery and tires before heading out on a road trip and also have their vehicles inspected by a trusted repair shop.