COLUMBUS – Summer travel appears ready to continue its post-pandemic surge with Ohio experiencing the fourth busiest Memorial Day holiday weekend travel volume on record, according to estimates by the auto club AAA.
More than 1.6 million Ohioans will be heading out one way or another, including almost 230,000 central Ohioans who are expected to hit the road, 5.6% more than last year.
The 42.3 million Americans planning to travel 50 miles or more from home this Memorial Day weekend represents a 7% increase over last year.
“We are seeing strong consumer confidence despite inflation as a reason more people are planning trips and booking them earlier. Across the nation, this is expected to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000 and the fourth busiest in Ohio,” said Kara Hitchens, AAA spokesperson.
More than 37 million Americans will drive to their destinations, an increase of more than 2 million, and that includes 1.45 million Ohioans, making it the third business year for road travel since 2005, Hitchens said.
INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, expects Friday to be the busiest day on the roads during the long weekend and the lightest traffic days will be Saturday and Sunday. The best times to travel by car are in the morning or evening (See graphic).
Gas prices are lower this holiday compared to last year, when the national average was more than $4 a gallon.
Avg. gas prices at popular destinations (5/24/23)
Ohio……………………………………$3.50
Cedar Point………………………….…$3.55
King’s Island………………….………..$3.49
Cleveland………………………………$3.52
Cincinnati………………………………$3.54
Hocking Hills…………………….…….$3.45
Kentucky………………………………………$3.35
W. Virginia……………………………………$3.41
Indiana…………………………………….$3.58
Michigan…………………………. ….$3.60
Pennsylvania………………………..$3.67
Source: AAA
The holiday weekend takes off at Columbus airports with over 15,000 departing passengers per day from Friday through Monday, up 10% from last year, said Joseph Nardone, president and CEO of the Columbus Regional Airport Authority.
For the first time since the start of the pandemic, summer air travel at Columbus airports is expected to surpass the record-breaking year of 2019. Nardone says about one million people will depart from John Glenn Columbus International Airport and the Rickenbacker Passenger Terminal between June 1 and July 31.
Check the airport authority’s website for flight and parking information and experts recommend getting to the airport at least 90 minutes before a domestic flight and download the airlines’ app to avoid last-minute headaches.
Nationally, 3.4 million travelers are expected to fly to their destinations this Memorial Day, an increase of 11% over last year, and 86,138 Ohioans will be among them.
Once again, Orlando is the favorite summer getaway for Americans for summer travel, along with Seattle, Hawai’i, Boston and Las Vegas, according to the travel insurance company Allianz Partners.