Memorial Day travel expected to be higher than 2022, report says

We're just two weeks ahead of Memorial Day and more than a million Michiganders will travel for the first summer holiday of the year, according to AAA Michigan.

The agency reports that over 1.2 million Michiganders will travel for Memorial Day, which is more than last year and nearly back to pre-pandemic levels in 2019.

According to AAA, this would be the third-busiest Memorial Day travel weekend for Michiganders behind 2018 and 2019.

In all, 1.1 million Michigan resides are expected to drive, about 62,000 more than last year. 66,000 are expected to fly, which is 7,000 more than last year.

“Memorial Day weekend is the kickoff to what promises to be a very busy summer travel season,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Despite various inflationary pressures, consumer spending is strong, and Americans still want to travel. Because of that, we’ve seen demand come roaring back, just shy of pre-pandemic levels in Michigan.”

The breakdown is below.

AAA reports that travel will be up around the country for Memorial Day. In all, they project 42.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more for the weekend. That's 2.7 million more than last year, but fewer than was reported in 2019 and 2005.

Demand for flights is soaring, according to AAA, with the agency saying this year will be the strongest Memorial Day air travel since 2005. People are also paying more for Memorial Day trip this year due to rising airline ticket costs.

If you're traveling by car, AAA has the best and worst times to travel by car. They are below.