Auto Rental News
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

36.6M People to Hit the Road for Memorial Day

The busiest travel days are expected on Thursday and Friday, with holiday travelers mixing with commuters, according to AAA.

May 21, 2018
36.6M People to Hit the Road for Memorial Day

According to AAA and global transportation analytics firm INRIX, the addition of nearly 2 million travelers is expected to cause serious travel delays on major roads, with routes taking up to three times longer than usual. Photo: AAA

3 min to read


Despite gas prices being the highest since 2014, about 41.5 million Americans are predicted to travel Memorial Day weekend, nearly a 5% increase from last year and the highest number in more than 12 years.

According to AAA and global transportation analytics firm INRIX, the addition of nearly 2 million travelers is expected to cause serious travel delays on major roads, with routes taking up to three times longer than usual.

Ad Loading...

The busiest travel days are expected on Thursday and Friday, with holiday travelers mixing with commuters. Many of the larger metro areas, such as Chicago and Washington, D.C., could see double the normal travel time; New Yorkers can expect almost three times the delay.

“Ranked the most congested country in the world, U.S. drivers are all too familiar with sitting in traffic,” Graham Cookson, chief economist and head of research at INRIX, said in a statement. “Drivers should expect congestion across a greater number of days than in previous years, with the getaway period starting on Wednesday. Our advice to drivers is to avoid peak commute times in major cities altogether – traveling late morning or early afternoon – or plan alternative routes.”

Metro Area

Worst Day for Travel

Worst Time for Travel

Delay Multiplier of Normal Trip

Atlanta

Thursday

3:30-5:30 p.m.

1.6x

Houston

Thursday

4:30-6 p.m.

1.5x

Boston

Thursday

4:30-6:30 p.m.

1.8x

Washington, D.C.

Thursday

4:30-7 p.m.

2.3x

San Francisco

Friday

3-5:30 p.m.

1.7x

Los Angeles

Friday

3:30-5:30 p.m.

1.9x

New York City

Friday

3:30-6:30 p.m.

2.7x

Detroit

Friday

4-5:30 p.m.

1.5x

Chicago

Friday

4-6 p.m.

2.1x

Seattle

Friday

4-6 p.m.

1.8x

By the numbers: 2018 Memorial Day holiday travel forecast

  • Automobiles: the vast majority of travelers – 36.6 million – will hit the road this Memorial Day, 4.7% more than last year.

  • Planes: 1 million people will travel by air, a 6.8% increase and the fifth year of consecutive air travel volume increases.

  • Trains, buses, and cruise ships: travel across these sectors will increase by 2.4% to 1.8 million passengers.

Higher gas prices not deterring travelers

Ad Loading...

Gas prices averaged $2.72 in April, 33 cents higher than the year before. The 88% of Americans who choose to travel for Memorial Day weekend will be paying highest prices for gas since 2014.

However, while travelers will be paying more at the pump, they will be making up for it in other travel-related areas. According to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index, airline tickets are averaging around $186 — 7% lower than last year — for a round trip flight along the top 40 domestic routes.  The average daily car rental is $59, 11% cheaper than last year and one of the lowest rates in the past four years.

Similarly, AAA Three Diamond hotel rooms are averaging about $186 per night, 14% less than last year; Two Diamond hotels are averaging at $151 per night, about 7% cheaper than last year.

Top Travel Destinations

  • Orlando, Fla.

  • Seattle

  • Honolulu

  • Las Vegas

  • Anchorage, Alaska

  • Phoenix

  • Anaheim, Calif.

  • Boston

  • Denver

  • New York City

Ad Loading...

Internationally, Rome, London, and Dublin are the most popular destinations for Memorial Day Weekend 2018.

For those renting cars at airports, Hertz is predicting the Orlando, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, and Kahului, Hawaii, airports to be the busiest airport-pickup locations for rental cars.

Hertz is expecting Friday to be the busiest day out of the whole weekend, with and average rental length of six days.

Related: TravelSupermarket Reveals Cheapest Global Car Rental Locations

More Rental Operations

green and blue bar graphs compare fleet sales June 2025 versus June 2026
Fleet Acquisitionby Martin RomjueJuly 8, 2026

Rental Car Fleet Sales Show Mid-Year Strength

June gains ensured rental fleets closed out the first half of 2026 in positive territory.

Read More →
Close up of a row of white CUVs in the Surprice Mobility fleet at the Milan airport.

Surprice Mobility Opens Corporate Rental Station at Milan Malpensa Airport

The Milan opening is part of Surprice Mobility's broader strategy to expand its corporate operations while increasing the use of technology across its network.

Read More →
Julian Gritsch with an MBA class in a classroom.

Brazilian Executive MBA Targets Growing Domestic Rental Car Industry

Rental car companies face a unique combination of challenges that are rarely addressed in traditional programs.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Green Motion team with banner bearing Japanese flag.

Green Motion Expands Into Japan With Master Franchise Agreement

Japan's tourism industry, business travel market, and demand for vehicle rental services are reasons the country represents an important market for the company.

Read More →
ACRA Chairman Sharky Laguana on stage at the ICRS event in Grapevine, Texas.
Legal & Legislativeby Martin RomjueJune 24, 2026

ACRA Carrying Fuller Industry Load As AI and EVs Lurk In Future

The leading car rental professional business group details an active legislative, regulatory, and macro-trends agenda affecting car rental operators.

Read More →
Light blue horizontal bar graphs on a chart showing World Cup-related rental car booking trends.
Rental OperationsJune 23, 2026

World Cup Travel Data Shows Longer Car Rentals and More One-Ways

A recent analysis of FIFA bookings found varied demand patterns that influenced rental car pricing.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Side view of ICRS speaker Sanchit Garg at podium in front of a floor lit red curtain
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 22, 2026

A Leveling Force: AI Morphs Into A Rental Car Profit-Seeker

Revenue managers can’t match the emerging AI tools gobbling lots of data that could counter the competitive race to the rate bottom.

Read More →
Photos of Martin Romjue and Denis Gjoni on opposite sides of large headline for the video.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 17, 2026

Stop Losing Money On Rental Tolls

Regardless of your rental fleet size and structure, fleet managers, executives, and owners can gain valuable insights into an often-overlooked area of fleet operations.

Read More →
Richard Lowden gesturing on stage in front of a red curtain at the Gaylord Texan Resort near Dallas.
Rental Operationsby Martin RomjueJune 12, 2026

Rethink The Future To Avert A Race To The Bottom

Rental car operators heard a sobering industry message and a stern challenge at the close of the International Car Rental Show.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
John Possumato holding microphone while asking a question during a live conference session at the ICRS Show.

DriveItAway, Free2move Plan Shared Fleet Program for Independent Rental Fleet Operators

Vehicles would be placed with participating rental operations to support car renter demand and provide additional fleet capacity.

Read More →
Ad Loading...