AAA: 45 Million Americans, including 503,000 Kansans, Planning Memorial Day Weekend Getaways

2026 Memorial Day travel forecast in line with 2025 levels

WICHITA, Kan. – May 11, 2026 – AAA projects 45 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home for Memorial Day between Thursday, May 21 and Monday, May 25. This year’s domestic travel forecast is slightly (0.4%) higher than last year with 39.1 million travelers expected to drive and 3.66 million expected to fly to their destinations. While gas prices are higher than last Memorial Day weekend, average ticket booking prices for flights through AAA are lower than last year. However, these prices are based on airfares booked before the Iran conflict began in late February. Since then, rising fuel costs have led to higher ticket prices and surcharges, meaning current fares are likely higher than last year.

More than 503,000 Kansans will travel for this Memorial Day holiday (up 0.4% from 2025). Of those, more than 85%, or 429,000, will drive to their destination (down 0.3% year over year) and another 21,000 will fly, (a decrease of 0.7% from last year). The number of Kansans traveling by other modes of transportation (cruise, train, bus) is projected to be up slightly from last Memorial Day.

“Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and for most Americans it’s a three-day weekend,” said Shawn Steward, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Kansas. “However, continued economic uncertainties and concerns over rising prices have led to the smallest year-over-year travel growth rate we’ve seen in more than a decade, outside of the COVID impacts in 2020.”

Total Annual U.S. Travel Growth Rate – Memorial Day Holiday

*Outside of the dramatic impacts on travel during COVID-19 in 2020, 2026 is projected to have the lowest year-over-year growth rate in over a decade for the Memorial Day holiday.

Memorial Day Travelers by Mode of Transportation

By Car: AAA projects 39.1 million people will hit the road over Memorial Day weekend, about the same as last year. This holiday weekend, drivers are paying much more at the pump compared to last year when the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.17. Currently, pump prices are the highest they’ve been since 2022. Driving is still the most popular way to travel and makes up 87% of the share of Memorial Day travelers.

With more vehicles on the road this holiday weekend, AAA reminds drivers to put safety first, Slow Down, Move Over, and drive sober. Before hitting the road, check your car’s battery, tire pressure, and fluids. Last Memorial Day weekend, AAA responded to more than 350,000 emergency roadside assistance calls – including nearly 1,400 in Kansas – to help stranded drivers with issues like dead batteries, flat tires, and empty fuel tanks.

For travelers who are renting cars over Memorial Day weekend, AAA car rental partner Hertz says Thursday and Friday are expected to be the busiest pick-up days. The top 5 markets with the highest demand are Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, and Boston. According to AAA booking data, domestic car rentals are 1% cheaper this holiday weekend compared to last year.

By Air: AAA projects 3.66 million travelers will take domestic flights over Memorial Day weekend, a small increase over last year. Air travelers make up 8% of the share of travelers this holiday weekend.

By Other Modes: Travel by other modes is expected to go up by 5% with 2.2 million people traveling by bus, train, or cruise over Memorial Day weekend. Alaska cruise season kicks off this time of year, and the popularity of Alaska cruises is a driving factor in this category’s growth.

AAA’s Top Memorial Day Weekend Destinations

Memorial Day weekend travelers are taking trips to theme parks and famous landmarks, boarding cruises in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and flying to Europe to visit iconic capital cities. Here are the top 10 domestic and international destinations, based on AAA booking data.

Memorial Day 2026 Travel Costs

Based on AAA Travel bookings, average domestic travel costs for this kickoff to summer travel look like this:

• Domestic flights are 6% cheaper this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year. 
• Average price for a domestic roundtrip flight is $800.
• U.S. hotels are 4% cheaper this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year. 
• Car rentals are 1% cheaper this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year.
• Cruises departing from domestic cities are 14% more expensive this holiday weekend.
• Average cost for cruises departing from domestic cities is $2,750.  

Best/Worst Times to Drive

INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, says Memorial Day weekend drivers should expect the heaviest congestion on Thursday and Friday between 3pm and 6pm and Monday afternoon. Sunday should be the lightest day for traffic, barring any unexpected events on the road. According to INRIX, as congestion moves out of metro areas during holiday periods and onto highways, the risk of crashes increases as many drivers navigate unfamiliar routes outside of their normal commuting patterns. This stresses the importance of getting a good night’s rest before a road trip, planning your route ahead of time, and driving undistracted and sober.

Holiday Travel Forecast Methodology

In cooperation with AAA, S&P Global Market Intelligence (SPGMI) developed a unique methodology to forecast actual domestic travel volumes. The economic variables used to forecast travel for the current holiday are leveraged from SPGMI’s proprietary databases. These data include macroeconomic drivers such as employment, output, household net worth, asset prices including stock indices, interest rates, housing market indicators, and variables related to travel and tourism, including gasoline prices, airline travel, and hotel stays. AAA and SPGMI have quantified holiday travel volumes going back to 2000.

Historical travel volume estimates come from MMGY’s TRAVEL PERFORMANCE/MonitorSM. The PERFORMANCE/MonitorSM is a comprehensive study measuring the travel behavior of U.S. residents. MMGY contacts over 50,000 U.S. households each month to obtain detailed travel data, resulting in the unique ability to estimate visitor volume and spending, identify trends, and forecast U.S. travel behavior, all after the trips have been taken. 

The travel forecast is reported in person-trips. In particular, AAA and SPGMI forecast the total U.S. holiday travel volume and expected mode of transportation. The travel forecast presented in this report was finalized the week of April 13, 2026.

Because AAA holiday forecasts focus on domestic leisure travel only, comparisons to TSA passenger screening numbers should not be made. TSA data includes all passengers traveling on both domestic and international routes, whether traveling for work or leisure. Additionally, TSA screens passengers each time they enter secured areas of the airport, therefore each one-way trip is counted as a passenger tally. AAA focuses on person-trips, which include the full round-trip travel itinerary. As a result, direct comparisons of AAA forecast volumes and daily TSA screenings represent different factors.

INRIX Methodology

INRIX blends statistically grounded models with real-world road behavior to forecast travel conditions on the most heavily traveled routes across the U.S. during peak holiday periods. INRIX’s holiday traffic forecast combines pre-selected high-impact travel routes, rich multi-source traffic data, and a statistically robust linear regression model to generate detailed, time-specific travel delay predictions. INRIX’s data sources include a wide array of vehicle-based and infrastructure-based inputs. These include connected vehicle GPS data, mobile apps and navigation services, roadside sensors and cameras, and commercial fleet telematics. With expansive coverage, high temporal resolution, and historical context, this forecasting process provides essential insights for travelers, media, and agencies alike.

Memorial Day Holiday Travel Period

AAA’s Memorial Day holiday travel period includes five days, beginning the Thursday before Memorial Day and ending on Monday.

About AAA

AAA provides automotive, travel, and insurance services to more than 65.2 million members nationwide and almost 350,000 members in Kansas. AAA advocates for the safety and mobility of its members and has been committed to outstanding road service for more than 100 years. AAA is a non-stock, membership corporation working on behalf of motorists, who can map a route, find local gas prices and electric vehicle charging stations, discover discounts, book a hotel, and track their roadside assistance service with the AAA Mobile app (AAA.com/mobile) for iPhone, iPad and Android. For more information on joining or renewing a Membership, visit www.AAA.com.