How Americans plan to travel this Memorial Day

[May 27, 2023]  (Reuters) - The upcoming Memorial Day weekend is expected to see millions of Americans travel despite tight budgets, kicking off the busy summer travel in the U.S on a high note.  

Here's how the Memorial Day travel might look like:

ROADTRIPS

** Cheaper gas is pushing more Americans to consider road travel as an alternative.

** About 37.1 million Americans are expected to drive down to their destinations this Memorial Day, a 6% increase compared to 2022, according to data from travel group AAA.

** Car rental prices are down 17% compared to Memorial Day Weekend last year, travel booking website Hopper says.

** Gas prices are 10% lower from a year ago - AAA.

FLIGHTS

** 3.4 million travelers are expected to take a flight for the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, an 11% increase year-over-year - AAA.

** Fares for domestic air travel have fallen this Memorial Day with prices down 26%, or nearly $100, compared to last year. -Hopper

** International travel, on the other hand, will be the most expensive in 5 years with a 50% increase in prices year-over-year to Europe. – Hopper

** Airfare to Asia is 70% more expensive when compared to 2019 prices. – Hopper

** Seat capacity at airlines are set to be 17% higher than Memorial Day weekend last year. - Hopper

CRUISES, BUSES & TRAINS

** About 1.85 million Americans are expected to take buses, trains and cruises, an increase of about 21% compared to last year, data from AAA showed.

** Domestic cruise bookings for the upcoming weekend are up 50% compared to 2022 - AAA.

** 2023 cruise cabins bookings are up 54.25% year-over-year, according to data from online cruise marketplace Cruise Compete.

** Bus fares too have fallen, down as much as 37% on average versus last year, according to travel search platform Wanderu.

** Train fares, on the other hand, have nearly doubled in comparison to 2022 - Wanderu.

** Despite increased fares, trains across the U.S. are expected to have over 213,800 riders during the upcoming long weekend, which is a 54.9% increase from last year, according to Amtrak, the national passenger railroad company.

(Reporting by Doyinsola Oladipo in New York; Compiled by Shivansh Tiwary; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)

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