PA Memorial Day Travel Guide 2019: Worst Times To Hit The Road

If you're hitting the highway this Memorial Day weekend, prepare for the roads to be crowed. AAA predicts this will be the second-most holiday road travelers on record since it began tracking those volumes in 2000.

Nearly 43 million Americans are expected to travel this weekend, which marks the unofficial start of summer. The fact that gasoline prices have increased more than 30 cents in the last two months isn't discouraging folks from getting away from home.

Compared to last year, an additional 1.5 million people will take to the nation’s roads, rails and
runways — a 3.6 percent increase.

For the Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Pennsylvania, New York and New Jersey, AAA said 4.5 million will travel by car, 344,000 will fly, and 149,000 will go by bus, train or ship.

“Following a long winter, Americans are excited to take advantage of a strong economy with a well-deserved vacation,” Jim Lehman, president of AAA East Central, said in a release.

The average price of a gallon of gas across western Pennsylvania is $3.068, according to AAA. Still, 88 percent of travelers will drive to Memorial Day destinations.

"When gas prices are expensive, travelers may shorten the distance of a road trip, eat out less or look for free activities," AAA gas price expert Jeanette Casselano said in a release. "But, overall, prices are very similar to this time last year and, like then, they aren't letting that deter them from taking summer road trips."

That could particularly apply to Thursday for Pittsburgh, where strong to severe storms are forecast in the afternoon and evening.

Among the top travel destinations are Orlando, Las Vegas, New York City and South Carolina beaches, based on advance-travel AAA bookings.

The automobile association also expects to aid more than 350,000 motorists over the weekend who experience dead batteries, flat tires and lockouts.