Despite the rising cost of gas, AAA projects that the majority of Hoosiers traveling for Memorial Day will do so by car. The travel period spans from Thursday through Monday afternoon.
Nationally, AAA predicts about 45 million people to travel for Memorial Day, about 200,000 more than last year. And 39.1 million of them will be driving.
Christina Griffiths, manager of public affairs and communications for AAA Hoosier, said of the nearly 970,000 Hoosiers traveling for the holiday, about 880,000 will do so by car. With the holiday travel period being just a few days, she said that many people may choose to take regional road trips over flying.
According to AAA, the average price of gas per gallon in Indiana is $4.04, and that’s after Gov. Mike Braun suspended the state gas tax of about 60 cents for the month. At this time a year ago, gas was $3.13 per gallon. Gas prices first rose in February, when the U.S. and Israel launched a war against Iran.
“Even with the higher gas prices, you still have that convenience of driving,” she said. “It's easier for families. I know that's how I feel with young kids. You can have a little more flexibility with where you're stopping, where you're going.”
AAA projects about 3.7 million people, 52,000 of them Hoosiers, will be flying for the holiday. That number is about the same as last year. Griffiths said roundtrip domestic ticket prices were down 6% from last year, with an average ticket costing $800.
Top domestic destinations include Orlando, Seattle and New York City, while top international destinations are Rome, Vancouver and Paris.
About 2.2 million people, 38,000 of them Hoosiers, will be traveling via other modes of transportation, such as bus, train or cruise. This category saw the largest increase from last year of just over 5%. Griffiths said cruises have consistently grown in popularity since the pandemic.
“I think cruises really appealed to a lot of people because of the convenience,” she said. “You get to see more places in one cruise, you have so many more options, and then you know you're not going to a different hotel room every single night. You can kind of have one place and then you plan your excursions and your stops and your other tours within that.”
Griffiths expects the roads to be busiest Thursday afternoon, all day Friday and Monday afternoon.
