Memorial Day weekend travel expected to be busiest in 10 years

FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Memorial Day is almost here, and many Valley residents will be hitting the road to get out of town. According to AAA, the 2015 Memorial Day forecast is expected to mark the highest travel volume for the holiday in 10 years, since 2005.

Most drivers will likely pay the lowest Memorial Day gas prices in at least five years. Wednesday's national average price of gas is $2.66 -- $1 less than the average price on Memorial Day last year. That means a lot of drivers will be hitting the road.

AAA Travel projects 37.2 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday weekend -- a 4.7 percent increase from the 35.5 million people who traveled last year and the highest travel volume for the holiday in 10 years.

Kicking off the summer driving season, 33 million travelers will be driving to their destinations. More than 88 percent of travelers (33 million) will travel by automobile -- an increase of 5.3 percent over last Memorial Day. Holiday air travel is expected to increase 2.5 percent to 2.6 million leisure travelers. Travel by other modes of transportation, including cruises, trains and buses, is expected to decrease 3.6 percent this Memorial Day to 1.64 million.

Travelers will encounter higher lodging costs this year, while airfares are down slightly compared to Memorial Day 2014.