by Donald Wood
Last updated: 12:17 PM ET, Wed May 15, 2019
A new study from AAA found that an estimated 43 million Americans will travel during Memorial Day weekend.
The unofficial start of summer vacation season will see the second-highest travel volume on record since AAA began tracking holiday statistics in 2000. There will be 1.5 million additional people hitting the road in 2019 as opposed to last year, a 3.6 percent increase.
Despite average gas prices on the rise, the vast majority of holiday travelers will drive to their destinations, with an estimated 37.6 million people hitting the road. Another 3.25 million will fly and 1.9 million will travel via trains, buses and cruise ships.
"Americans are eagerly anticipating the start of summer, and expensive gas prices won't keep them home this Memorial Day weekend," AAA Travel vice president Paula Twidale said in a statement. "Consumer spending remains strong, helped by solid job and income growth. Families continue to prioritize spending their disposable incomes on travel, and near-record numbers of them are looking forward to doing just that for Memorial Day."
AAA predicts the greatest amount of congestion will take place on Thursday, May 23 and Friday, May 24, with several major United States cities experiencing double or triple the travel times compared to a normal trip.
As for the top domestic Memorial Day travel destinations, Orlando tops the list, followed by New York City, Las Vegas, Honolulu, Anaheim, Seattle, Phoenix, Anchorage, Tampa and San Francisco.
The top-five international destinations include Rome, London, Dublin, Paris and Vancouver.
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