More Than 850,000 Marylanders expected to travel this holiday weekend

AAA says most will go by car.

Grasonville, Md (KM) AAA says 853,000 Marylanders are expected to travel during the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, which is considered the unofficial start of the summer vacation season. That’s an increase of six percent compared to last year. But it’s six percent less than the pre-pandemic travel year of 2019.

Nationally, AAA projects 42.3 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more from home during the holiday weekend, which is a seven percent increase from 2022.

“The vast majority,  which is typical with travel for the holiday,  will be traveling car; taking a Great American Road Trip. That is about 37-million Americans who will be taking to the roads, and that includes 755,000 Marylanders,” says Ragina Ali, Manager, Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic in Maryland and Washington DC.

If you are traveling by car, Ali says have your vehicle checked over by a mechanic to make sure it’s road ready. “AAA expects to come to the rescue of more than 483,000 disabled motorists nationwide this year. That will probably equate 7200 in the DC Metro area, and more than 9300 in Maryland,:” she says.

AAA says if your vehicle breaks down while en route to your destination, get your car, truck or SUV off the road away from traffic, and put on your hazard lights. Ali says, if possible, get your vehicle  into a parking lot.

According to the AAA, 71,000 Marylanders are expected to fly to their destinations this year, a 7.5 percent increase from 2022. :”If you’re flying, you want to make sure you’re up to date with the TSA guidelines as far as what you can or cannot bring on board a plane, “she says. “Ideally, you have TSA PreCheck or CLEAR that will help  expedite you through that security process.”

AAA also says 27,000 Marylanders are taking other modes of travel during the Memorial Day Holiday weekend, such as cruises, buses and trains.

By Kevin McManus