WASHINGTON — A record number of Americans are expected to travel this Memorial Day holiday, according to the American Automobile Association's annual forecast.

AAA said 45.1 million people will travel a minimum of 50 miles from their homes from May 22 to May 26, which is Memorial Day. 

“Long holiday weekends are ideal for travel because many people have an extra day off work and students are off from school,” AAA Travel Vice President Stacey Barber said in a statement.

This year, 1.4 million more people are expected to travel over the Memorial Day holiday compared with 2024. 

About 1 million more will travel by car, according to AAA, which expects 87% of Memorial Day travelers to take road trips. Gas prices this year are lower than last Memorial Day because of lower crude oil prices. The current national average for a gallon of regular gasoline is $3.14. Last Memorial Day, the national average was $3.59.

Over the Memorial Day weekend, the best times to travel by car will be before noon Thursday, before 11 a.m. Friday, before noon Saturday, before 1 p.m. Sunday and before 2 p.m. Monday, according to the traffic analytics company INRIX. The worst times to travel will be from 1-9 p.m. Thursday, noon-8 p.m. Friday, 2-6 p.m. Saturday, 1-5 p.m. Sunday and 4-7 p.m. Monday.

More travelers are also expected to fly this year. AAA projects a 2% increase in air travel over the Memorial Day weekend despite domestic flights costing 2% more than in 2024 

Other modes of travel are also seeing increases, including trains, buses and cruises, which are expected to increase 8.5% this Memorial Day holiday compared with 2024.