MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) - Gas prices aren't expected to keep people home for the Memorial Day weekend.
AAA is projecting 34.9 million Americans will head out for the holiday weekend.
"Here in Wisconsin we're expecting just under 700,000 to head out for Memorial Day," says Pam Moen of AAA Wisconsin.
That's virtually the same number of travelers the state saw last year, according to the AAA forecast.
Of those, 630,000 people plan to travel by auto while 43,000 will travel by air. Travelers in Wisconsin will find gas prices averaging $3.94 per gallon, $1.12 more than a year ago.
"60 percent of the people we surveyed said 'no, it won't really effect our plans at all'," Moen says. "The other 40 percent says gas prices are a concern."
But Moen revealed that 70 percent will economize in other areas and the rest will take a shorter trip or travel by an alternate mode of transportation.
Nationally, nearly 3 million travelers (8% of holiday travelers) will fly during the holiday weekend, an 11.5 percent increase from last year. Moen believes that's, in part, due to the rising fuel prices.
