AAA is projecting over 1 million New Jersey residents will travel 50 miles or more over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, an increase of almost 7% over last year and reminiscent of pre-pandemic holiday travel. The Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as the five-day period from Thursday, May 25 to Monday, May 29.

“In New Jersey this is expected to be the fifth busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when AAA started tracking holiday travel,” said Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Club Alliance. “Despite inflation, this summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.”

Almost 70,000 New Jersey travelers are expected to fly to their destinations this Memorial Day, that’s an increase of over 10% compared to last year and accounts for about 7% of those traveling. Even with high ticket prices, demand for flights is skyrocketing. This Memorial Day weekend could be the busiest at airports since 2005.

Memorial Day road trips in New Jersey are up more than 6% over last year. Over 900,000 New Jerseyans will drive to their destinations representing 91% of those traveling for the holiday weekend. Gas prices are lower this holiday compared to last year, when the New Jersey average was well more than $4 a gallon. Despite the lower prices at the pump, car travel this holiday will be shy of pre-pandemic numbers by about 15,000 travelers in the Garden State.

More people this holiday are taking other modes of transportation, like buses and trains. These travelers are expected to total almost 20,000 in New Jersey, an increase of more than 19%.