Memorial Day Weekend Travel Tips

May 27, 2010— -- More Americans are expected to hit the road this holiday weekend than last year, meaning larger traffic jams and fewer last-minute deals for families looking to get away.

About 31.2 million travelers are traveling this Memorial Day, up 5.4 percent from last year, according to projections from AAA. The majority of them -- 61 percent -- will spend at least some time with friends and relatives over the long weekend.

"While the economy continues to be rocked by waves of occasional uncertainty, improved economic performance from one year ago should cause more Americans to take vacations this Memorial Day holiday weekend," said Glen MacDonell, director of AAA Travel Services.

Most of those travelers -- 87 percent, according to AAA -- plan to make their journeys by car. The average distance traveled by Americans this Memorial Day holiday is expected to reach 626 miles, about the same as last year.

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"Memorial Day is very much a driving vacation," said Anne Banas, executive editor of travel website SmarterTravel "People do fly for Memorial Day but more people hit the road."

Her advice: figure out your traffic hot spots in advance, and try to time your trip to travel through them at off-peak hours.

"Instead of heading out Friday night after work, consider driving Saturday morning instead. Or maybe -- if you can -- get a jump on the holiday and head out Thursday," she said.