Of the 37 million Americans who are expected to travel over Memorial Day weekend, AAA estimates that 34.4 million will drive. (iStock)

The American Automobile Association (AAA) is predicting that Memorial Day will see increased highway activity this year. AAA Travel predicts that more than 37 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday weekend (May 27th-May 31st)—which is 60 percent more than last year when just 23 million Americans traveled for Memorial Day weekend. The “significant rebound” in travel is expected because more Americans are getting the COVID-19 vaccine and because the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently updated its travel guidance saying that fully vaccinated Americans can safely travel around the country. It’s predicted that of the 37 million Americans expected to travel Memorial Day weekend, 34.4 million will travel by car (12 million more than last year), 2.5 million will fly (nearly six times more than last year), and about 237,000 will take a bus, train, or cruise. The AAA also noted in its report that its estimation could be impacted by last minute decisions related to COVID-19 case numbers and variants or significant progress in the vaccine rollout in the coming weeks.