BEND, OR -- Central Oregon is bracing for the influx of Memorial Day tourists, as holiday travelers welcome the unofficial start of summer. 

"AAA projects that this Memorial Day will be the second busiest on record," says Marie Dodds, with AAA-Oregon. "The numbers are pretty staggering. Get this: 43.8 million Americans, or 13% of the population, will travel at least 50 miles from home. And that includes 600,000 Oregonians." She adds, "About 88% of Memorial Day travelers will take a road trip. We’ve got almost 44 million total, we’ve got 38.4 million going by car." And those road trips include some typical northwest favorites, with two Central Oregon cities making the top 10 list of regional destinations, "Bend, number one; Portland, number two; Eugene, third; Boise, fourth; Medford/Ashland, fifth; Baker City, Seattle, Lincoln City, Seaside and Redmond."

For those going a little farther from home, Dodds says Anaheim, Las Vegas and Honolulu are popular, as well as Rome, Vancouver B.C. and Cabo San Lucas, "There’s a bit of a theme here: beaches, theme parks and larger cities; those are some of the most popular destinations." Dodds says this will be the most crowded Memorial Day weekend at airports since 2005. Cruising, bus travel and trips by train are also up from 2023. 

Inflation and frustration with the economy don't seem to be stopping people from spending discretionary funds on big trips. "People are willing to make the investment in travel for a lot of reasons: Making memories, having those family getaways," says Dodds, "These are all things that are very, very important to most people." And, she notes, "When you look at airfares, they’re within 1-2% of a year ago, so that’s similar. Gas prices are about the same as they were a year ago, and hotels, lodging, those expenses are also about the same as last year."

To listen to our full conversation with AAA's Marie Dodds about Memorial Day Weekend travel, visit KBND's Podcast Page.