Between trips along the nation's highways and byways or flights high in the sky, Americans are determined to travel in what may be record numbers this year for Memorial Day weekend.
With so many off work and school, holiday travel overall has been surging to new records over the previous years following the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many Americans are craving "experiences over material things," said AAA spokesperson Aixa Diaz.
"Travel is a personal and emotional decision," Diaz told The Epoch Times. "Trips don't have to be costly. Travel can be as simple as packing up the car, driving to a nearby beach or lake, and staying with family and friends."
Severe weather in multiple states could affect vacation plans.
That means 87 percent of Americans traveling this weekend will opt to drive instead of other modes of transportation, in part because of the lower gas prices.
Road trips are also easy, offer flexibility, and are a more viable option for most people, Diaz noted.
And since some students will be due back in school on Tuesday, others opt to drive to destinations "closer to home over the long weekend," she said.
Hertz, a AAA car rental partner, said Friday is expected to be the busiest pickup day, with SUVs being among the most popular rental vehicles for the weekend travel. The cities with the highest demand for rental cars include Orlando, Denver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami, and Seattle.
Hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to book flights for this weekend, the agency said.
AAA is anticipating an increase in Memorial Day weekend air travel from last year, when 3.55 million travelers chose to fly to their destinations. This year, 3.61 million Americans are projected to take to the skies, a 2 percent increase from 2024.
Luckily, prices on air travel are only up an average of $2 per ticket, according to Hopper. This year, the average airfare for the long Memorial Day weekend is roughly $258 per round-trip ticket.
Hopper said the most popular destination cities are Las Vegas, Atlanta, and Chicago, Hopper said. The five airports expected to get the most traffic are Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago O'Hare, Denver, and Los Angeles.
Since flights departing after 9 a.m. are twice as likely to be delayed as departures scheduled between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., Hopper recommends that travelers depart as early in the morning as possible.
Travelers are advised to plan ahead and avoid driving on flooded roadways.
On Memorial Day, thunderstorms could affect the Southeast from the lower part of the Mississippi River to Georgia and the Carolinas.
AccuWeather senior meteorologist John Feerick said that several areas, like southeast Kansas, Missouri, and Arkansas, may get hit with thunderstorms repeatedly over the weekend, which could have a snowball effect on flash flooding.
"Flooding is obviously one of the big killers, so people have to be aware," Feerick told The Epoch Times. Anyone out on the roads should avoid driving through high water and find alternative routes, he said.
Feerick said the South is expected to be hotter than average this weekend, from South Texas through Florida.
"So, compared to average, it's maybe not going to be quite as shocking. But still, it's probably going to be 5-10 degrees above average," he said.
As for the regions that may see the most vacation-friendly weather for Memorial Day weekend, Feerick pointed to the Southwest, including southern California, and the Gulf Coast, stretching from Houston to South Florida.
While these areas may see higher temperatures than average, "it doesn't look like there's going to be much in terms of thunderstorms."
The mid-Atlantic near the nation's capital may see cooler temperatures, but will be mostly dry this weekend, he said.