A record number of Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles away from their homes over the Memorial Day Weekend. 

45.1 million people are expected to make some sort of travel through Thursday, May 22 and Monday, May 26 – breaking the record of 44 million travelers back in 2005. According to AAA, 87% of those travelers, nearly 40 million, will be traveling by car over the holiday weekend, an increase of more than one million over 2024. 

“Memorial Day weekend getaways don’t have to be extravagant and costly,” Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel said in a statement this month. “While some travelers embark on dream vacations and fly hundreds of miles across the country, many families just pack up the car and drive to the beach or take a road trip to visit friends. Long holiday weekends are ideal for travel because many people have an extra day off work and students are off from school.” 

“Memorial Day is an American holiday on the last Monday of May. It honors fallen service members of the U.S. military,” the Wounded Warrior Project said about Memorial Day. “Americans began to recognize Memorial Day in 1868, and the country established it as a federal holiday in 1971. Originally known as ‘Decoration Day,’ the holiday started with communities coming together to decorate the graves of those who died during service.”

As Americans make their way around the country some of the nearly 40 million traveling by car will make pit stops are various restaurants with the majority flocking to fast food chains for a quick bite. Those looking for their favorite items will be pleased to know that Chick-fil-A is open on Memorial Day.

“Unlike the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays, U.S. Chick-fil-A restaurants are open on Memorial Day. Hours of operation vary by location,” the restaurant chain said in a statement on its website.

Those looking to stop at Chick-fil-A can check out the chain’s store locator to see the hours for their specific location.