classic car near beach (Photo : Reuters)
The American Automobile Association (AAA) forecasts that Memorial Day travel will be the highest in a decade. The reason is that travelers during the Memorial Day weekend 2015 will have more money to spend due to falling gas prices and the improving United States job market.
The AAA is North America's non-profit federation of motor clubs, according to Travel Pulse. Originally, the AAA was founded in 1902 as a response to few roads and highways being suitable for automobiles.
The AAA projects that the number of Americans who will take Memorial Day trips at least 50 miles (80.4 km) will skyrocket to 37.2 million. Don Redman, an AAA spokesman, says that it is nearly a 5 percent jump.
The projected number of Memorial Day travelers for 2015 will be the highest since 2005, when 44 million Americans traveled during the Memorial Day holiday. It will also be 4.7 percent higher than last year.
AAA president Marshall L. Doney explained that one reason for the high volume of Memorial Day travelers is the recent "harsh winter" so Americans want to launch the summer season with a "vacation getaway."
Almost 90 percent of travelers, or 33 million people, will drive to their destinations for Memorial Day plans. This figure will cause congestion on highways.
Redman says that the automobile remains the "preferred" mode of transportation. Air travel for tips such as a Memorial Day beach vacation will be minimal, according to WWL.
Still, with the US stock market rising and consumers spending more money, the number of flyers will likely tick up 2.5 percent. The transportation option is now more affordable for wealthy Americans.
With gas prices going down, another reason for a spike in travel is that gasoline will cost $1 lower on Memorial Day. The summer 2015 gas prices are also expected to remain low.
On May 8, the average price per-gallon was $2.66. It was $3.66 during the summer-launching holiday in 2014.
