AAA Texas: Memorial Day Travel Expected to Increase 2.5 Percent this Year.

HOUSTON -- More than 3.5 million Texans are expected to make Memorial Day getaways this weekend -- a 2.5 percent increase over last year, despite gas prices that are about 70 cents higher than a year ago, according to AAA Texas.

About 80 percent of Texas travelers -- or 2.83 million people -- are projected to drive to their holiday destinations, which is a 2.6 percent increase over last year's 2.76 million car travelers. More than 502,000 travelers statewide will fly -- a 2 percent increase compared to last year's 493,000 air travelers. And more than 175,000 travelers will take a bus, train or cruise this weekend, up 2.5 percent from 171,000 last year.

"Gas prices are very high compared to last year, but fortunately did not reach the record levels of September when they surpassed $3 a gallon," said AAA spokeswoman Rose Rougeau. "People are telling us they still want to travel, but their travel budgets might be a little smaller because they're spending more on everyday commuting expenses. They can usually compensate for that by choosing a more economical destination or hotel, or by eating out less often."

Nationwide, AAA is predicting that an all-time record of 37.6 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this weekend, an increase of less than 1 percent from last year.

The most popular destinations for this weekend for Texans, according to a poll of AAA Travel agents, are:

1) Orlando, FL
2) Caribbean/Mexico cruises out of Galveston, TX
3) San Antonio, TX
4) Las Vegas, NV
5) Colorado

Research for Memorial Day weekend travel is based on a national telephone survey of 1,300 adults by the Travel Industry Association of America, which conducts special research for AAA.

AAA Texas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas' members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' web site at www.aaa.com.