COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Memorial Day Weekend is one of the busiest times to travel as millions of people take to the roads and hit the skies this weekend.
AAA is predicting more than 45 million people will travel, which is about 1.4 million more than last year. But will the weather or the economic climate have any impact?
Memorial Day Weekend is supposed to be the unofficial start of summer. However, here in Ohio, it doesn’t feel that way just yet. Regardless, 1.7 million Ohioans are expected to travel this weekend, and 1.5 million of those will drive to their destination.
“We have found that people are more likely to drive to their holiday destinations than to fly. And there's a number of reasons for that,” said Kara Hitchens with AAA.
Reason number one: Driving is often more convenient than flying.
“You can make your schedule. When you're flying, you're obviously on the airline's schedule,“ said Hitchens.
5 Logan County Seniors receive $1,000 grantsThe second reason, gas prices. According to AAA, the current national average gas price is around $3.16. A year ago, we were looking at prices closer to $3.61.
“The typical seasonal uptick that we would see this time of year hasn't quite hit yet. It may come later in the summer, but right now gas prices are looking pretty good, which is giving an advantage to those people who do want to drive to their destination,” she said.
Memorial Day Weekend is often the time for public pools to open. But, here in Ohio, it is not pool season just yet. However, those with plans this weekend probably made them months in advance. So, while the weather might not have any impact on how many people spend the weekend, experts at AAA say the uncertainty of the economy just might.
“It'll be interesting to see what happens for the rest of the summer, because the economy is still, you know, has so much uncertainty with it,” said Hitchens, “prices are still high. Grocery prices are still high. We're even looking at airline prices. You know, they're up over last year as well. So pricing, prices have a lot to do with it.”
If you are heading out the door this weekend, Hitchens says to plan ahead.
“You want to make sure you know where construction zones are, you know, any, any other kind of barriers. Make sure that you have an emergency roadside kit with you so that in case you do end up at the side of the road, you have some essentials such as water and snacks, that type of thing with you,” she said.
NBC4 also asked what the most popular destinations are for Ohioans this weekend, and according to Hitchens, most are opting to go South.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( AAA predicts 1.7 million Ohioans to travel for Memorial Day weekend )
Also on site :