There's a slight jump in the number of Marylanders expected to travel during the long Memorial Day Weekend. AAA Mid-Atlantic projects 721,000 state residents will be traveling this weekend. That's a 1.4% increase over 2011.

Spokeswoman Ragina Averella says the economy is a little slow, and that could be keeping a lot of people from taking to the roads and the air. "We certainly know the economy could be a little better. But at least in Maryland it seems to be improving and have a little more optimism than in other parts of the country," she says.

On the national level, AAA is predicting 34.8-million Americans are projected to travel during the Memorial Day period.

The auto club is also saying that the average distance Maryland residents are traveling is a little less than last year. "Most people are actually staying a little bit closer to home," Averella  says. "While last year, we saw an increase in the trip distance. This year, we're witnessing actually a 55% decline in the average round trip Marylanders will be traveling." AAA Mid-Atlantic says the average round trip for state residents in 2012 is 570-miles; last year, it was 1,037 miles.

A majority of Marylanders, 646,000, will be going by car. 53,000 will be flying.

But Marylanders on average are projected to spend  more on their travels compared to the rest of the country.  AAA says state residents are expected to fork over $972. The national average is $702.