22-05-2025
Memorial Day weekend travel: What to expect
DAYTON, Ohio (WDTN) — More Ohioans will be traveling this Memorial Day Weekend, but higher prices are keeping a lot of people closer to home for a vacation.
AAA predicts that 45 million people in the United States, including 1.7 million Ohioans, will travel 50 or more miles over the Memorial Day weekend, but not all necessarily to go on vacations.
According to Bankrate, only 46% of American adults plan on taking a vacation this summer, with 65% of those citing affordability for not traveling, but that doesn't mean you can't getaway to a place closer this summer.
'A lot of times we have to prioritize what's important for a family. You know, gas prices, grocery prices, education, utility bills, property taxes, all those play a part with what we have available to utilize for trips or doing things for ourselves,' said Richard Embry, AAA Dayton South general manager. 'So I think a lot of families have to really look at the importance of traveling the distance, how much money they're willing to spend to travel.'
While you won't see as many people at the airport, there is an expected record amount of 1.54 million people on the roadways in the Buckeye State. The one thing that is cheaper than last year is gas.
'Now, the good news is our gas prices right now is around $3 a gallon where this time last year was over $3.59,' said Embry. 'Make sure that you're prepared and your vehicle's prepared if you're taking a road trip, tire pressure, tire tread, make sure your fluids, make sure everything mechanically is correct.'
To avoid peak traffic, it is advised to leave earlier in the day.
'Leave early because you're going to see significant increases, amount of traffic flow on the roads in the late mornings, early afternoons into the late afternoons, because everyone's going to be traveling at that same time, and you basically want to want to beat the line,' said Embry.
Real ID Is needed to fly, but there are other acceptable forms of identification, such as a passport.
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