While New Yorkers were living through the pandemic and everything was locked down and restricted, most felt the days of being able to freely travel might never come, but here they are!

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Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial start to summer and each year, AAA releases its travel forecast to let us know what we can expect for the long holiday weekend. This year, AAA says Memorial Day travel could end up being “one for the books” as millions of people plan to travel 50 miles or more away from home.

As a matter of fact, AAA is predicting that this Memorial Day weekend could see more travel than it was in 2019, which was pre-pandemic.

An estimated 43.2 million Americans are expected to pack up and go this holiday weekend which is a seven percent increase over the number of people who traveled in 2022. AAA says that its travel predictions are a pretty good indicator of what the upcoming summer travel season will look like and what that looks like is a very busy season.

In a statement, Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel said, “More Americans are planning trips and booking them earlier, despite inflation. This summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.

While millions of people will be hitting the roads this Memorial Day weekend, the biggest travel congestion is expected to be at airports where 3.4 million people are expected to fly this weekend alone which is about 170,000 more people traveling by air Memorial Day weekend 2023 than Memorial Day weekend 2019.

Although airport travel will be up, brace for busier than normal traffic on New York roads this Memorial Day weekend. AAA says that 37 million Americans are expected to hop in their vehicles to get to where they’re going this weekend.

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[WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter private or abandoned property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing.]

 

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