Metro Atlanta
Metro Atlanta

Memorial Day in a pandemic: Are you hitting the road?

AAA believes the coronavirus pandemic will suppress Memorial Day travel. But travelers may be planning future trips. (Dennis Anderson/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS)

Credit: HANDOUT

Credit: HANDOUT

AAA believes the coronavirus pandemic will suppress Memorial Day travel. But travelers may be planning future trips. (Dennis Anderson/Minneapolis Star Tribune/TNS)
By
May 18, 2020

Memorial Day weekend is upon us, gas is cheap and the open road beckons. So millions of Americans are planning to … shelter in place. At least for now.

That's according to AAA, which believes the coronavirus pandemic will suppress Memorial Day travel. But for the first time in 20 years, the auto club will not issue an official Memorial Day travel forecast because the accuracy of the economic data used to create the forecast has been undermined by the COVID-19 pandemic.

» RELATED: 7 ways to celebrate Memorial Day 2020 at home

AAA says anecdotal evidence suggests fewer people will be hit the road during Memorial Day weekend. But it believes many travelers are already planning future trips for when it’s safe to travel.

So we’d like to know: Are you hitting the road as usual this Memorial Day? Are you delaying plans until later in the summer? Are you planning trips closer to home or forgoing travel altogether this summer?

If you’re willing to be quoted in an upcoming article, contact reporter David Wickert: dwickert@ajc.com.

About the Author

David Wickert writes about the state budget, finance and voting issues. Previously, he covered local government and politics in Gwinnett and Fulton counties. Before moving to Atlanta, he worked at newspapers in Illinois, Tennessee, Virginia and Washington.

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