Thursday is slated to be the busiest travel day for Memorial Day weekend both at the airport and out on the roads, according to AAA.
AAA forecasts that 3.61 million people nationwide will be traveling by plane. But the vast majority will be hitting the road.
"Especially with people looking to make it an extra-long vacation, extra-long celebratory weekend," said Courtney Pene, the SLO County Airport deputy director of planning and outreach.
AAA expects around 39.4 million people to be driving to their destination this weekend, and say drivers should be prepared.
"Inspect your vehicle tires, your battery, and fluid levels before that long trip," said Anlleyn Venegas, a AAA spokesperson. "Nationwide, AAA does expect to rescue more than 370,000 stranded drivers at the roadside, and that includes more than 95,000 just in California."
If you are driving, she says the busiest times to be on the road are going to be between noon and 6 or 7 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
She says that leaving early, whether you are driving or flying, is a good idea — something seasoned travelers agree with.
"Get to the airports earlier than you normally do," said Judy Loya, who is flying to Seattle from San Luis Obispo. "I would anticipate the way things have been going, it would be very crowded in the bigger airports."
"You need to get here early enough to not miss your flight like I did," said Laura Robison, a traveler at the SLO County airport.
AAA says that travel for this upcoming weekend is expected to be up around 3% from last year, and up 5.4% from pre-pandemic levels.
"Monday is going to be another busy day, not only for people driving to their destination but for people flying to their destinations," said Venegas. "That's when most of them are going to be coming back from their vacations."
