Holiday travel havoc

Memorial Day weekend marks the start of the summer travel season — and roughly 620,000 Oregonians are heading out of town starting today, according to AAA.

🚗 The majority of travelers (about 505,000) will drive to their destinations, with Bend, Seaside, Boise, Idaho, and Anaheim, California, at the top of the list.

• For Portlanders headed south on I-5, expect traffic to be 34% worse than usual tomorrow around 6:15pm. Drivers looking to get back to the city via I-84 west on Monday at 6:30pm will see a 39% increase in travel time.

✈️ Despite higher fuel prices, traveling by car "is still more affordable than flying or taking a cruise," spokesperson Marie Dodds of AAA Oregon/Idaho said.

• 68,000 Oregonians will fly to their Memorial Day destinations, while 47,000 will take other modes, including bus, train or cruise, per AAA.
• The Port of Portland, which operates the area's international airport, anticipates Friday will be the busiest travel day, with 63,000 passengers going through security checkpoints.
• Overall, the airport expects to see a 2.6% increase in travelers compared to last year, according to officials.

🎡 For those sticking around, the annual Rose Festival down on the waterfront and Multnomah County Fair held at Oaks Park both kick off this weekend.