MILWAUKEE — With Memorial Day weekend just around the corner, millions of Americans are preparing to hit the road — and this year, they may be greeted by a welcome surprise at the gas pump.
According to AAA, the national average for a gallon of gas is about 40 cents less than this time last year. Heading into the holiday weekend, drivers can expect to pay around $3.08 per gallon. When adjusted for inflation, that marks the second-lowest Memorial Day weekend gas price since 2003, according to an analysis by GasBuddy.
For Milwaukee resident D’Amoure Washburn, that drop in price makes a real difference.
“To be able to travel and have cheaper gas, it just opens up the door absolutely,” Washburn said. “I mean, everything is expensive now. Daycare is expensive, life is expensive. You have to drive to daycare, then drive to work, then get off work, drive to daycare again, then go home, then go to the grocery store, and go to church, and anything else in the world. Driving is everything, so having cheaper gas prices is great.”
Watch: What to expect at the gas pump this Memorial Day weekend
Washburn lives in Milwaukee but is originally from Peoria, Illinois, and said he’s considering making the four-and-a-half-hour trip home this weekend — a drive longer than the roughly 50-mile average AAA expects most Americans to make.
“I feel like for years, we’ve been getting our butts kicked with gas prices, and things are finally looking up — at least for the weekend,” he said. “Maybe I will go home. I planned on going home in a few weeks, but maybe I'll go home this weekend as well, because gas is cheap — and that’s the way life goes these days.”
With gas prices trending down, things are looking up for travelers across the country, just in time for the summer travel season to begin.
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