The Boston area is one of the Top 10 destinations for travelers this Memorial Day weekend.

Travelers are expected to “report for vacation duty” in record numbers this Memorial Day weekend. Boston travelers especially are gearing up for a weekend traffic jam “worth saluting.” AAA projects 45 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home for Memorial Day between Thursday, May 21 and Monday, May 25. This year’s forecast for domestic travel is slightly higher than last year, setting a new record for the holiday weekend with 39.1 million traveling by car and 3.66 million people expected to fly to destinations.

“Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of summer, and for most Americans, it’s a three-day weekend,” said Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel. “Travel demand remains strong, and despite higher fuel prices, many people are prioritizing leisure travel during holiday breaks.” 

Driving is the most popular way to travel for Memorial Day, with the mode of transportation making up 87% of trips. Drivers, however, are paying more at the pump this year compared to last year, when the national average for a gallon of regular gas was $3.17 on Memorial Day. 

Nationally regular gas prices are rising day-over-day. The price for a gallon of regular gas at the time of writing is $4.53. Massachusetts’ average is even higher, at $5.05.

AAA wrote that pump prices are the highest they’ve been since the summer of 2022.

Boston is also among the Top 5 markets with the highest demand for renting cars over Memorial Day, according to Hertz.

The Top 10 domestic Memorial Day weekend destinations are:

1. Orlando, Florida
2. Seattle, Washington
3. New York, New York
4. Las Vegas, Nevada
5. Miami, Florida
6. San Francisco, California
7. Anchorage, Alaska
8. Chicago, Illinois
9. Denver, Colorado
10. Boston, Massachusetts

Peak congestion in the Boston metro area is on Friday around 3:15 p.m., with an estimated 94% increase to travel time than usual, according to INRIX.

The best and worst times to travel by car, however, are:

For air travel, AAA projects 3.66 million people will take domestic flights over Memorial Day, a small increase over last year.

Travel by other modes, such as bus, train or cruise ,are expected to increase by 5%, with 2.2 million taking to alternative transportation this Memorial Day weekend.

The Top 10 international Memorial Day weekend destinations are:

1. Rome, Italy
2. Vancouver, Canada
3. Paris, France
4. London, England
5. Athens, Greece
6. Dublin, Ireland
7. Barcelona, Spain
8. Southampton, England
9. Amsterdam, Netherlands
10. Edinburgh, Scotland