LAFAYETTE PARISH — With more people getting vaccinated and COVID restrictions starting to ease, travel is expected to increase this Memorial Day weekend.
According to AAA, travel is expected to increase by 60%, which is a major difference compared to last year in 2020 during the pandemic.
For many people like Keona Lewis, a vacation away from home can't come soon enough.
"I've been in the house since the pandemic," Lewis said. "I've been either working or going back home. I'm kind of excited we're going travel."
She plans on going to Miami this summer and she's not the only one who's going to the sunshine state.
"Obviously in the summertime people are looking to get into Florida," Robbie Bush with Associated Travel said. "We're seeing lots of full places for this weekend and next weekend with Florida."
Bush says he's seeing more people, especially on Memorial Day weekend, choose national parks and RV destinations. He also says more people are getting in their cars and driving to their destination.
The demand for travel is keeping them busy, a change compared to last year.
"Compared to 2020, we're busy," Bush said. "We're busy actually selling travel and advising on future sales, compared to canceling travel."
He added, "We're still only 40% or 50% of where we were in 2019. So 50% is a good direction we're seeing a lot more activity for the summer and fall, but we still have a long way to go."
