Memorial Day is the unofficial start of summer in the United States — and the busiest travel holiday! Over 41.5 MILLION people will travel for the 2018 Memorial Day holiday weekend, nearly a 5% increase over last year. This is the highest number of travelers since 2005. AAA reports seven out of eight travelers will be driving despite gas prices being up 33% as compared to last year. This is likely due to the strong economy and growing consumer confidence in America.
Worst Times To Travel
INRIX, a travel analytics company, reports that the busiest travel days for the holiday weekend will be Thursday, May 24th, and Friday, May 25th. INRIX has also provided the worst travel day and time for several major metro areas:
| Metro Area | Worst Day For Travel | Worst Time For Travel | Delay Multiplier Of Normal Trip |
| Atlanta | Thursday, May 24 | 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. | 1.6 |
| Houston | Thursday, May 24 | 4:30 – 6:00 p.m. | 1.5 |
| Boston | Thursday, May 24 | 4:30 – 6:30 p.m. | 1.8 |
| Washington, D.C. | Thursday, May 24 | 4:30 – 7:00 p.m. | 2.3 |
| San Francisco | Friday, May 25 | 3:00 – 5:00 p.m. | 1.7 |
| Los Angeles | Friday, May 25 | 3:30 – 5:30 p.m. | 1.9 |
| New York | Friday, May 25 | 3:30 – 6:30 p.m. | 2.7 |
| Detroit | Friday, May 25 | 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. | 1.5 |
| Chicago | Friday, May 25 | 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. | 2.1 |
| Seattle | Friday, May 25 | 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. | 1.8 |
Our advice? Plan your trip to tackle major metro areas before or after peak rush hour times or avoid them all together, allow extra time, and be patient!
Where are you planning to go this Memorial Day? Share your trip with us in the comments! Be safe out there FIXD Fam!
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