Of the total expected number of travelers this Memorial Day weekend, AAA expects that most people — about 35 million — will travel by car. File Photo by Mike Nelson/EPA

Even with the price of gas soaring, nearly 40 million people are expected to travel long distances over the upcoming Memorial Day weekend (Friday, May 27th- Monday, May 30th). The AAA said in its annual forecast released yesterday (May 18th) that it expects 39.2 million people will travel 50 miles or more in the United States over the holiday weekend. That would be an 8.3 percent increase over the same weekend in 2021. Of the total figure, AAA expects that most people—about 35 million—will travel by car. About 3 million are expected to travel by plane, and 1.3 million by bus or some other mode of transportation. Experts say part of the reason for the expected increase is a desire for vacations after two years of COVID-19, and this Memorial Day weekend is the first since the pandemic began during which most coronavirus restrictions will have been lifted. The AAA also noted that the average lowest airfare this Memorial Day weekend is a little bit more expensive than last year, and gas prices are of course way up. As of yesterday, the national average for a gallon of regular gas was $4.57. This time last year the average price for a gallon of gas was $3.04.