Memorial Day Travel: AAA Ranks Seattle Among Nation's Top Destinations

SEATTLE — Though the weather has yet to catch up, Memorial Day weekend is fast approaching, and more families are planning trips for the unofficial start to summer this year than last year, according to AAA.

The travel firm on Tuesday released its annual holiday travel outlook, sharing projections both nationwide and locally in Washington. Overall, AAA said Americans should prepare for a busy Memorial Day weekend, with more than 39 million people expected to travel at least 50 miles from home. On the national level, that works out to an 8 percent increase compared to 2021, with a 9 percent increase among Washingtonians.

In other words, this holiday is shaping up to look a lot more like the pre-pandemic days.

"Memorial Day is always a good indicator of what's to come for summer travel," said Michelle Glass, vice president of travel for AAA Washington. "Based on these projections, the people who are more than ready to take overdue vacations plan to do so in the coming months."

With cruise lines back in full force, AAA ranked Seattle as the nation's second most popular Memorial Day destination, behind only Orlando.

AAA's Top U.S. Destinations for Memorial Day Weekend - 2022

1. Orlando, FL
2. Seattle, WA
3. Miami, FL
4. Las Vegas, NV
5. Anaheim, CA
6. New York, NY
7. Denver, CO
8. Anchorage, AK
9. Boston, MA
10. Honolulu, HI

As tourists from around the country flock to Seattle's waterfront, the travel firm found most locals have plans to take road trips a little closer to home. For those taking to the air, most are headed for warmer pastures. One exception is Anchorage, Alaska, which ranked third among Washingtonians' flight plans.

Top Road Trip Destinations - Washington

1. Washington
2. Oregon
3. California
4. Montana
5. Idaho

Top Flight/Hotel Destinations - Washington

1. California, various cities
2. Phoenix, AZ
3. Anchorage, AK
4. Miami, FL
5. Hawaii, multiple islands

Despite record gas prices, AAA said the vast majority of Americans — including more than 800,000 in Washington — plan to drive to their destinations. An estimated 102,875 Washingtonians will take a flight.

According to a AAA report released Monday, Washington continues to have some of the nation's highest gas prices, most recently averaging $5.03 per gallon, behind only California ($5.98), Hawaii ($5.31), and Nevada ($5.17). Only four states in the U.S. have yet to cross the $4 threshold.

This year, AAA also worked with Kirkland-based INRIX to share the best and worse travel times on the road and found Thursday evening is likely to cause the most headaches for those heading in or out of the Seattle area. During that time, INRIX said drivers can expect travel times on southbound Interstate 5 will more than double between Federal Way and Tacoma.

As for the weather, it's a little too early to tell with certainty how Memorial Day will shape up. If the spring to date is any indication, it could land on the cooler side. That's also in line with what the Climate Prediction Center's latest probabilities favor through the end of May.