341,000 Kansans expected to hit the road for Memorial Day

TOPEKA (KSNT) - A new report released by AAA shows that there will be an uptick in Kansans traveling during the upcoming Memorial Day weekend.

Shawn Steward shared the news on May 15, stating that an estimated 385,000 Kansans will be among the more than 42 million Americans expected to travel 50 miles or more on the holiday weekend. This marks an increase in the total number of travelers nationwide of 7% compared with last year.

“This is expected to be the third busiest Memorial Day weekend since 2000, when AAA started tracking holiday travel,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “More Americans are planning trips and booking them earlier, despite inflation. This summer travel season could be one for the record books, especially at airports.”

Steward said the number of travelers in Kansas is up 8% from Memorial Day weekend 2022. The majority of Kansans are expected to be traveling via highways and will make up 341,000, or 88.5%, of the total number of travelers from Kansas. This is an increase of 5.4% compared to last year.

More than 32,000 Kansans will be taking flights for the holiday weekend, an uptick of 8.3% since 2022, according to Steward. The remaining 12,000 Kansans are expected to choose cruise ships, trains or buses for their transportation, representing an increase of 10.7%.