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Memorial Day, originally known as Decoration Day, has been a crucial part of the US history that dates back to the American Civil War. Being a federal holiday, Memorial Day is observed on the last Monday of May to honor those who died while serving the United States armed forces. Therefore, following the precedent set since 1971, the 2023 Memorial Day will occur on Monday, May 29, 2023.
However, this year, the federal holiday might be the busiest in years, with millions of Americans expected to travel across the country over the upcoming weekend. According to projections by AAA (American Automobile Association), as many as 42.3 million Americans are expected to travel for the weekend, for reasons associated with the forthcoming federal holiday.
42.3 million to travel across the country, with almost 3.4 million flying this Memorial Day Weekend, estimates AAA
According to AAA, the federation of motor clubs throughout North America, which is more than 121 years old, the coming weekend might see 42.3 million US citizens move at least 50 miles within the stateside. Thus, the volume of travel within the United States will be up by almost 7% if AAA's estimates are correct.
About 37.1 million are projected to drive themselves to their destinations over the coming weekend. Road trips are expected to be up by almost 6% in 2023 compared to 2022. However, the numbers will be slightly lower than the pre-pandemic statistics by an estimated 500K.
American Automobile Association has also projected almost 3.4 million to travel via air transportation to reach their destinations around May 29, 2023. According to AAA, the number of passengers traveling by air will increase by 11% compared to last year, while also being much higher than pre-pandemic levels.
For those unaware, AAA has estimated a 5.4% (about 170K) increase in passengers this year than the 2019 Memorial Day Weekend. The organization has evaluated the US airports as the busiest since 2005, despite the prices of air travel going through the roof in 2023.
As AAA has predicted the next few days to be the busiest in traffic, INRIX expects May 26 to be the busiest day to travel by road. It has further speculated that the worst time on the road will be between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm. Hence, travelers can opt for the evening (after 6:00 pm) trip or morning timings for their road trips.
Here are the best and worst times to travel on the road, as predicted by the data collected by INRIX:
May 25
- The worst time to travel - Between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm
- The best time to travel - Before 1:00 pm
May 26
- The worst time to travel - Between 3:00 pm and 6:00 pm
- The best time to travel - Before 12:00 pm
May 27
- INRIX expects minimal impact on traffic.
May 28
- INRIX expects minimal impact on traffic.
May 29
- The worst time to travel - Between 12:00 pm and 6:00 pm
- The best time to travel - Before 10:00 am
May 30
- The worst time to travel - Between 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm
- The best time to travel - Before 2:00 pm and after 6:00 pm
Readers can check out more analytical estimations on INRIX's official website and plan their trips over the long Memorial Day Weekend accordingly.
