Memorial Day travel budgets take careful planning to be enjoyable

If the AAA knows what it's talking about, things are looking brighter on the economic front.

Using information gleaned with the help IHS Global Insight, a Boston-based economic research and consulting firm, AAA expects Americans to be traveling 5.4 percent farther than we did over last year's Memorial Day holiday weekend, with 32.1 million travelers taking a trip away from home, compared to 30.5 million last year.

Nearly 28 million people, or 87 percent of all travelers, are expected to travel by motor vehicle, with more than 2.1 million, or 7 percent of all travelers planning to fly to their destination. An estimated 2 million, or 6 percent of all travelers, will use another mode of transportation, including rail, bus and water craft.

Air travel must play a significant part in those travel plans, however, with the average Memorial Day vacationer planning to cover 626 miles -- more windshield time than most of us want to put in over even a long weekend.

The trip won't be any cheaper; AAA's Fuel Gauge Report shows that unleaded gasoline averages $2.84 a gallon, 50 cents higher than last year, and median spending is expected to be $809 this Memorial Day.

Air travel is expected to be about the same as last year, $176 per roundtrip ticket for the lowest average fare, but weekend daily car rentals will drop 15 percent from an average of $43.30 in 2009 to $36.65. Hotel rates are expected to remain a bargain, but will be down only 1 percent from a year ago, with travelers spending an average of $141.60 per night compared to $142.45 last year.

Regardless of your budget, one thing that makes economic sense is to get plenty of rest and obey all traffic laws, whether you're driving across the country or just to the airport. A speeding ticket, DUI arrest or, heaven forbid, an accident could turn your relaxing Memorial Day weekend into a nightmare.