2026 Memorial Day travel forecast in line with 2025 levels
OKLAHOMA CITY – May 11, 2026 – AAA projects 45 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home for Memorial Day between Thursday, May 21 and Monday, May 25. This year’s domestic travel forecast is slightly (0.4%) higher than last year with 39.1 million travelers expected to drive and 3.66 million expected to fly to their destinations. While gas prices are higher than last Memorial Day weekend, average ticket booking prices for flights through AAA are lower than last year. However, these prices are based on airfares booked before the Iran conflict began in late February. Since then, rising fuel costs have led to higher ticket prices and surcharges, meaning current fares are likely higher than last year.
More than 441,000 Oklahomans will travel for this Memorial Day holiday (up 0.1% from 2025). Of those, nearly 87%, or more than 383,000, will drive to their destination (down 0.2% year over year) and another 21,000 will fly, (a decrease of 0.1% from last year). The number of Oklahomans traveling by other modes of transportation (cruise, train, bus) is projected to be up slightly from last Memorial Day.
“Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and for most Americans it’s a three-day weekend,” said Shawn Steward, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Oklahoma. “However, continued economic uncertainties and concerns over rising prices have led to the smallest year-over-year travel growth rate we’ve seen in more than a decade, outside of the COVID impacts in 2020.”
Total Annual U.S. Travel Growth Rate – Memorial Day Holiday
|
Year
|
Growth Rate (YOY)
|
|
2016
|
+2.5%
|
|
2017
|
+3.5%
|
|
2018
|
+4.1%
|
|
2019
|
+3.6%
|
|
*2020
|
-46.0%
|
|
2021
|
+56.8%
|
|
2022
|
+9.3%
|
|
2023
|
+6.2%
|
|
2024
|
+4.0%
|
|
2025
|
+3.1%
|
|
2026
|
+0.4%
|
*Outside of the dramatic impacts on travel during COVID-19 in 2020, 2026 is projected to have the lowest year-over-year growth rate in over a decade for the Memorial Day holiday.
Memorial Day Travelers by Mode of Transportation
By Car: AAA projects 39.1 million people will hit the road over Memorial Day weekend, about the same as last year. This holiday weekend, drivers are paying much more at the pump compared to last year when the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.17. Currently, pump prices are the highest they’ve been since 2022. Driving is still the most popular way to travel and makes up 87% of the share of Memorial Day travelers.
With more vehicles on the road this holiday weekend, AAA reminds drivers to put safety first, Slow Down, Move Over, and drive sober. Before hitting the road, check your car’s battery, tire pressure, and fluids. Last Memorial Day weekend, AAA responded to more than 350,000 emergency roadside assistance calls – including nearly 2,700 in Oklahoma – to help stranded drivers with issues like dead batteries, flat tires, and empty fuel tanks.
For travelers who are renting cars over Memorial Day weekend, AAA car rental partner Hertz says Thursday and Friday are expected to be the busiest pick-up days. The top 5 markets with the highest demand are Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Denver, and Boston. According to AAA booking data, domestic car rentals are 1% cheaper this holiday weekend compared to last year.
By Air: AAA projects 3.66 million travelers will take domestic flights over Memorial Day weekend, a small increase over last year. Air travelers make up 8% of the share of travelers this holiday weekend.
By Other Modes: Travel by other modes is expected to go up by 5% with 2.2 million people traveling by bus, train, or cruise over Memorial Day weekend. Alaska cruise season kicks off this time of year, and the popularity of Alaska cruises is a driving factor in this category’s growth.
AAA’s Top Memorial Day Weekend Destinations
Memorial Day weekend travelers are taking trips to theme parks and famous landmarks, boarding cruises in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska, and flying to Europe to visit iconic capital cities. Here are the top 10 domestic and international destinations, based on AAA booking data.
|
RANKING
|
DOMESTIC
|
INTERNATIONAL
|
|
1
|
ORLANDO, FL
|
ROME, ITALY
|
|
2
|
SEATTLE, WA
|
VANCOUVER, CANADA
|
|
3
|
NEW YORK, NY
|
PARIS, FRANCE
|
|
4
|
LAS VEGAS, NV
|
LONDON, ENGLAND
|
|
5
|
MIAMI, FL
|
ATHENS, GREECE
|
|
6
|
SAN FRANCISCO, CA
|
DUBLIN, IRELAND
|
|
7
|
ANCHORAGE, AK
|
BARCELONA, SPAIN
|
|
8
|
CHICAGO, IL
|
SOUTHAMPTON, ENGLAND
|
|
9
|
DENVER, CO
|
AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
|
|
10
|
BOSTON, MA
|
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
|
Memorial Day 2026 Travel Costs
Based on AAA Travel bookings, average domestic travel costs for this kickoff to summer travel look like this:
-
Domestic flights are 6% cheaper this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year.
-
Average price for a domestic roundtrip flight is $800.
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U.S. hotels are 4% cheaper this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year.
-
Car rentals are 1% cheaper this Memorial Day weekend compared to last year.
-
Cruises departing from domestic cities are 14% more expensive this holiday weekend.
-
Average cost for cruises departing from domestic cities is $2,750.
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