More than 2M Floridians expected to travel this Memorial Day weekend

AAA shares Memorial Day weekend travel tips

FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia reports.

TAMPA, Fla. - More travelers nationwide, including more Floridians, are expected to travel this Memorial Day holiday compared to last year, according to AAA.

By the numbers:

About 45.1 million Americans, including 2.64 million Floridians – which are record-breaking numbers – will be spending Memorial Day away from their homes, AAA data shows. Most of those people will travel by car.

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"So the roads are definitely going to be busy. You'll likely see congestion begin picking up on Thursday well through the weekend," AAA spokesperson Mark Jenkins told FOX 13.

Why you should care:

Whether you’re one of these Memorial Day travelers or you’re spending the holiday in the Bay Area, you’ll notice the congestion: Florida cities are among some of the most popular Memorial Day destinations, AAA found.

"Just remember, you're sharing the road with a lot of different people from a lot of different places. And, in some cases, these are folks that may not have ever been to Florida before," Jenkins added.

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What you can do:

If you’re getting out of town, AAA said the best times to travel by car are:

Thursday: Before 12 p.m.
Friday: Before 11 a.m.
Saturday: Before 12 p.m.
Sunday: Before 1 p.m.
Monday: Before 2 p.m.

As of Tuesday, gas in Florida cost $3.01 on average, which is below the national average and also lower than this time last year.

"With them being a little bit cheaper, that can oftentimes be maybe advantageous for people to maybe take a last-minute trip if they want," Jenkins said.

Since underinflated tires are the number one cause of tire blowouts, Jenkins recommended inspecting your vehicle before embarking on your holiday road trip.

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"Check your battery, your brakes, your tires, especially your spare tire," Jenkins said. "A lot of people forget about the spare tire and don't realize that they have a flat spare until they need it. But tires are extremely important. If you haven't checked them in a while, chances are your tires might be underinflated."

If you aren’t traveling for Memorial Day, AAA experts said this weekend could be an opportunity to plan your next vacation. According to Jenkins, since some U.S. travelers aren’t ready to lock in future vacations due to concerns about the economy, some travel providers and hoteliers are seeing more availability than they normally would, leading to potential discounts.

"Right now is actually a really good time to book travel. There's a lot of uncertainty right now with the economy. There are concerns from international travelers. Maybe they're not as willing to travel into the United States. Travel providers are seeing that. They're seeing maybe more availability than they ordinarily would this time of year, and so they're offering incentives," Jenkins said. "We're talking about discounts on cruises, tours, hotels. So now can really be an advantageous time for you to jump in and cash in on a good deal for your summer or even a vacation later in the year."

For more information from AAA, click here.

The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Ariel Plasencia.

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