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If you're considered one of the hundreds of thousands of Californians who load up their automotive and hit the highway over Memorial Day weekend, be prepared for a number of company.
According to AAA, more people will travel over the vacation weekend than in nearly 20 years. According to the car association, they are going to flock to sunny vineyards in Napa Valley, exuberant theme parks in Southern California and bustling entertainment venues in Las Vegas and New York.
“Since COVID restrictions were lifted, we have seen record after record travel,” said AAA spokesman John Treanor. “Many Americans are feeling a real urge to get out and take trips that they haven't been able to take before. This year in particular, we see theme parks at the top of the travel destination list.”
AAA says 2024 will end just behind 2005 and be the busiest Memorial Day travel weekend for the reason that company began keeping track in 2000. An estimated 5.6 million Californians will go on vacation, with about 80% of those people taking a visit by automotive.
In the South Bay, California's Great America is offering access to the South Bay Shores water park along with the rides and roller coasters, and there can be fireworks on Sunday evening to finish the vacation weekend. Disneyland also offers some special promotions and packages for the vacation weekend.
Dave Kallal, who lives on the Central California coast, can be amongst those spending the long holiday weekend in his glampervan. The Oakland-based company sells vans equipped with a queen-size bed, a kitchen, a rooftop deck, and lots of cupboard space.
“Basically every weekend we travel to surf and camp and go to Hobson Beach Park in Ventura for Memorial Day,” he said.
He said he doesn't worry about traffic because he drives in style.
“The drive there is easy and beautiful,” said Kallal. At the beach, “you basically open the back doors of the van, lie in bed and look at the ocean while you drink your morning coffee.”
Those traveling by automotive will see some relief on the pump over the vacations because the wholesale price of gasoline is fractions away from falling to its lowest level since February, said Patrick De Haan, chief petroleum analyst GasBuddy, in a social media post.
“With gas prices now approaching a 10-cent decline from their peak a few weeks ago, the future looks bright as Memorial Day approaches,” De Haan said in an announcement on GasBuddy. which uses crowdsourcing to trace gas prices.
In California, where gasoline prices are the best within the nation, the worth of normal gas was $5.22 a gallon on Friday. This time last 12 months, drivers were paying a median of $4.79 per gallon for normal gasoline.
According to AAA, Interstate-80 between San Francisco and Napa can be the busiest route within the Bay Area as people leave the town Friday morning, but there are many other places to go to in every direction in California.
According to Visit California, a drive along historic Highway 1 is the highest selection for travelers who crave dramatic cliffs, towering redwoods and breathtaking water views. A portion of the highway near the Rocky Creek Bridge that had been closed since late March reopened Friday.
Those on the lookout for an brisk weekend can visit Palm Springs for desert mountaineering, Los Angeles for urban nightlife, and Santa Barbara and Santa Ynez to sample Pinot Noir and lounge on the sun-drenched Refugio State Beach.
But before you head out, Chris Pyle, a longtime auto mechanic and current automotive specialist at San Francisco-based Just Answer, has some advice.
“All too often a car owner forgets to look at everything about the car. “People get used to just looking at things from the driver’s seat,” Pyle said. “Someone going out of town needs to think outside the box and check every single thing on a car checklist.”
That means checking the lights, seat belts, tire pressure, fluids and brakes, and ensuring the automotive's spare tire is inflated and in good condition, Pyle said. And once they're on the road, Pyle also suggests driving slower to enhance gas mileage. 62 miles per hour is the optimal value, he said.
Those who resolve to fly out of town over the vacation weekend also needs to take special precautions and arrive on the airport no less than two hours early for domestic flights and no less than three hours early for international trips.
AAA expects this to be the busiest Memorial Day weekend on the nation's airports since 2005, with 3.51 million air travelers flying, up nearly 5% from last 12 months.
The newly formed San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport is expecting greater than 130,000 passengers over the long weekend. That's in regards to the same number as last 12 months, but still greater than 30,000 fewer passengers than before the pandemic. And San Francisco International Airport is expecting 147,000 passengers between Friday and Monday. That is around 33,000 fewer passengers than before the pandemic.
San Jose Mineta International Airport didn’t provide projections on the variety of passengers expected to go through the airport over the long holiday weekend, but said airlines could have about 188,000 seats available during that period.
Golden State residents is not going to be alone on the streets and within the air.
According to AAA, greater than 43.8 million Americans are expected to travel over the Memorial Day holiday weekend. That's up 4% from last 12 months and shut to the 2005 record of 44 million Memorial Day travelers.
“We are anticipating Memorial Day weekend numbers the likes of which we have not seen in nearly 20 years,” Brian Ng, senior vp of membership and travel marketing for AAA Northern California, said in an announcement. “It is not only a return to pre-pandemic levels, but also a harbinger of the robust summer travel season ahead.”
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