Time to pack up the car… and sit in traffic? That's no way to start a vacation.
This Memorial Day weekend is expected to be a big one for travel. According to AAA, 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home for the weekend. That’s a 7 percent increase from last year, making it the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when AAA started tracking holiday travel. Flights are still in demand, but road trips are up 6 percent from last year, especially as gas prices have dropped since last year.
So, what are your plans? If you’re driving out of town, AAA has some insight that may help you avoid getting caught up with the throngs of other travelers. If you can be flexible, you can avoid the worst times to travel, and hopefully make good time getting to your destination.
Transportation data provider INRIX has crunched the numbers and determined that Friday, May 26 between 3pm and 6pm will be the absolute worst time to travel, as it will be the busiest day on the roads. If you have to travel on Friday, before noon is the way to go. Saturday and Sunday will likely be the lightest travel days. To avoid traffic on the way home, consider packing it up before 10am on Monday. If you’re heading back Tuesday, hit the road before 2pm or after 6pm.
INRIX has all kinds of handy info to share including peak congestion times by Metro area—heads up Boston, New York, Seattle and Tampa: your travel times will likely double regardless of the time of day—and the best and worst times to travel and projected travel times to and from metro areas.
If you’re driving this Memorial Day weekend, plan wisely and you can avoid sitting in traffic on your way to your destination. Pack plenty of snacks and water regardless.