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If you were planning on hitting the road for Memorial Day this weekend, you can count yourselves among the nearly 3 million Southern Californians who are expected to do the same. The projected number of travelers is the highest it's been since 2005, itself a record-setting year.According to City News Service, the 2.9 million people in SoCal—and 4.67 million, statewide—set to travel are likely inspired to get out of town thanks to lower gas prices, which have dropped about $1 per gallon since this time last year.
The Automobile Club of Southern California noted that of those SoCal residents traveling, 2.45 million will do so via car, while 264,000 of them will fly and 176,000 will be taking buses, trains, or cruises. That last option doesn't sound too shabby right about now.
Aside from cheaper gas, Filomena Andrew, AAA's vice president for travel, cited the National Park Service's centennial, new theme parks and "rising personal income" as some of the factors that are making this year's Memorial Day weekend especially bumping. Domestic flights were also cheaper this year than they were last year, which, while good for consumers' bank accounts, could make the airports extra hellish this weekend.
Roger Dow of the U.S. Travel Assn. told the L.A. Times, "Leisure travel confidence is up, which could be great news for our economy—but when travelers are faced with two- and three-hour wait times at airports, at what point might they just stay home?"
Dow makes a good point: there's some good stuff on Netflix right now. However, if you want to feel like you're going somewhere special without even hopping in the car, you can always explore Santa Monica like a tourist using the Expo Line.
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