ORLANDO, Fla. – The American Automobile Association is out with its 2025 Memorial Day weekend forecast, predicting another year with Orlando at the top of its list for domestic travel destinations.
AAA expects a record-breaking 2.6 million Floridians to hit the road during this year’s May 22-26 Memorial Day holiday period, part of the more-than 45.1 million Americans forecast to travel by auto (39.4 million), air (3.61 million) or other means (2.08 million).
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This latest Memorial Day forecast indicated 1.4 million more Americans are expected to travel this year than in 2024, AAA said. The previous record was set in 2005 at 44 million, according to a news release.
Despite concerns over rising prices, many Americans say they’re taking advantage of the long holiday weekend to spend time with loved ones, even if the trips are closer to home.
AAA 5/12/2025 - "45.1 Million Americans Expected to Travel Domestically for Memorial Day" (excerpt)
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With driving the preferred method of transportation over Memorial Day weekend, AAA noted gas prices are cheaper than they were at the same time last year thanks to lower crude oil prices abating typical spikes ahead of the summer driving season.
May 23 is expected to be the busiest day for those picking up rental vehicles, with Hertz reporting the most demand in Orlando, Denver, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Miami and Seattle, according to AAA.
Presenting its top-10 list for domestic and international travel destinations, AAA noted Orlando took the top spot once again “thanks to its popular theme parks and nearby cruise port, Port Canaveral,” adding Seattle and Anchorage also made the list because of cruises; Memorial Day marks “peak Alaska cruise season,” the release states.
Based on AAA booking data for trips between May 22 and May 26, the organization’s 2025 list of top Memorial Day weekend destinations is as follows:
| DOMESTIC | INTERNATIONAL/CARIBBEAN |
|---|---|
| Orlando, FL | Rome, Italy |
| Seattle, WA | Vancouver, Canada |
| New York, NY | Paris, France |
| Las Vegas, NV | London, England |
| Miami, FL | Athens, Greece |
| San Francisco, CA | Dublin, Ireland |
| Anchorage, AK | Barcelona, Spain |
| Chicago, IL | Southampton, England |
| Denver, CO | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Boston, MA | Edinburgh, Scotland |
Read further on AAA‘s website.