AAA Travel projects 36.1 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Memorial Day holiday weekend, a 1.5 percent increase from the 35.5 million people who traveled last year.

The agency says that about 3.1 million Americans in the region including Kansas will travel during Memorial Day weekend. The number of travelers in Kansas will increase by about 0.4 percent compared to last year, reaching 3,078,000 in the West North Central region, which includes Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota and North and South Dakota.

Kicking off the unofficial atart of summer, overall more than eight in ten travelers will be driving to their destinations.

AAA expects that most drivers will pay lower gas prices by Memorial Day weekend due to rising supplies. AAA expects holiday gas prices to be relatively similar or even slightly less than last year’s national Memorial Day average of $3.63 per gallon, though unexpected developments such as refinery problems or international events could result in higher costs. With many plans already made and budgets set, it is unlikely that gas prices will have a significant effect on travel plans compared to a year ago.

The Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, May 22 to Monday, May 26.