BOURNE – Travel experts are forecasting a record-setting Memorial Day Weekend and offering the best times to hit the road.
AAA Northeast says over 45 million Americans are expected to travel domestically for the holiday, up over a million from last year.
Of those travelers, 39.4 million will travel by car; an additional 1 million compared to last year.
“Road trippers are benefiting from cheaper gas prices this year, with the average pump price in Rhode Island down 66 cents from last year, as of May 8,” said Senior Spokesperson Mark Schieldrop.
“Despite concerns over rising prices, many Americans are planning to take advantage of the holiday, even if the trips are closer to home. Long holiday weekend getaways don’t have to be extravagant, and having a day off from work and school allows many families to take that much-anticipated road trip.”
They added that the best times to travel will be before noon Thursday and before 11 am Friday. The worst times are 1 to 9 pm Thursday and 12 to 8 pm Friday.
Those looking to avoid the heaviest traffic Memorial Day itself should avoid 4 to 7 pm and consider hitting the road before 2 pm.
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