Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer in the US, and people love to celebrate with weekends away, road trips, and much more.
However, all that fun comes at a price, as so many cars hitting the road can lead to significant traffic delays. According to AAA, 37.6 million Americans will drive over the weekend, making it the second-highest travel volume on record since 2000.
Furthermore, the greatest congestion around the country will occur on Thursday, May 23 and Friday, May 24 in the late afternoon when commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers. Nevertheless, not all traffic is created equally; some cities will experience delays that are three times longer than normal.
AAA and INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, have estimated the most problematic times for several cities. For instance, Boston and Washington, DC are expected to see three times the delays on Monday, May 27, between 3:45 and 5:45 PM. In Atlanta, Thursday between 4:30 and 6:30 PM could bring 2.2 times the traffic delays. New Yorkers can expect their travel time to double on Thursday between 4:45 and 6:45 PM, while in San Francisco, traffic will be 1.6 times heavier on Saturday from 1 to 3 PM.
The top destinations for travelers, based on Advance AAA Travel bookings, include Orlando, New York, Las Vegas, Honolulu, and Anaheim. If you are still looking for a last-minute getaway, consider exploring Memorial Day weekend options that capture the essence of summer travel.
