Memorial Day Tops Summer Holidays for Travel
GAITHERSBURG, Md. – A survey of more than 150,000 GasBuddy members finds that more than 73% of people will be traveling between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and a majority (83%) plans to take two or more trips.
The survey conducted by the travel app, released Tuesday, also found that Memorial Day is the most popular weekend to travel of the three major summer holidays, followed by Independence Day then Labor Day. Nearly half of travelers, or 45%, plan to take a road trip during non-holiday weekends.
Other survey findings include:
- 85% of road trippers plan to drive more than 200 miles round trip, and 50% plan to drive more than 500 miles round trip.
- 40% will try to spend less than $500 per trip, including food and lodging.
- The top three reasons for choosing a specific destination are 1) visiting family and friends, 2) relaxation and 3) sight-seeing/unique local attractions.
- A third of people believe that the West Coast has the best road trip routes in terms of things to do, things to see, accessibility, etc.
- Most are leaving the kids at home; 65% won’t be traveling with anyone under the age of 18.
“People can’t get enough of the classic, summer road trip,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst for GasBuddy. “Nearly half of the people who responded claimed they love going on them and wish they could take more. Even with the current uptick in gas prices, we predict most U.S. travelers will pay the cheapest Memorial Day gas prices since at least 2009.”
The national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is $2.715, among the highest prices in nearly six months. Based on the survey, 58% of respondents said gas prices do not impact their vacation plans while 17% said they plan to take advantage of gas prices, which though up in recent weeks are still lower than in recent years.
Copyright 2024 The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
