Memorial Day travel to be highest since 2005

ZANESVILLE, Ohio — The Memorial Day holiday is approaching at the end of May and travelers need to be prepared for their trips before they hit the road.

Senior Public Relations Manager for AAA, Kimberly Schwind, says that a boost in the economy, and travelers spending more money will make this the most traveled Memorial Day weekend in more than a decade.

“AAA is expecting the highest Memorial Day travel volume in 12 years,with 39.3 million Americans, including more than 1.5 million Ohioans traveling. So if you are going to be on the roadways, make sure you give yourself plenty of extra time especially if you’re leaving during the peak times,” explained Schwind.

Scwind says that 91% of Ohioans that are traveling over the weekend are expected to be driving. Some popular locations for Ohio travelers include Hilton Head, Myrtle Beach, Orlando, Washington D.C., New York, and Tennessee.

If you are planning travels for the holiday weekend, it’s important to take your car in for service ahead of your trip as “hard break-downs” will only cost you more money in the long run.

“Unfortunately when we look at road travel, we also look at break-downs. So AAA expects to rescue about 350,000 motorists just over the Memorial Day weekend. So it’s really important if you are going to be on a Memorial Day or summer road trip, that you get your car in, get it checked out, get that oil changed, fill up your tires. Just make sure your car is road trip ready before you hit the road,” added Schwind.

If you aren’t sure where to take you vehicle to make sure it is trip ready, AAA has a certified network of repair shops. They inspect things such as cleanliness, customer service, and certifications before including these shops in their network. To locate a shop you can visit their website at aaa.com/repairs.

AAA also has a local shop located at 3934 Taryn Trace. At their store you can get free maps, tour books, and TripTiks. You can visit their store in person or go to their website to make sure you are prepared for your holiday or summer trips.

Peak driving times are considered to be Friday afternoon and Memorial Day Monday. Schwind advises drivers to give themselves plenty of extra time to reach their destinations.