By Taryn Phaneuf | NerdWallet Memorial Day weekend promises to be a big one for road trips, and that means gas prices are going to jump. As of May 20, a gallon of regular gas costs $3.58 on average in the U.

S., according to the U.S.

Energy Information Administration (EIA). Through the summer, gas prices are expected to average $3.70 per gallon nationally.

Memorial Day marks the unofficial start of the summer travel season in the U.S. Factoring in all forms of transportation, AAA predicts 43.

8 million people will travel this holiday weekend, making it the busiest Memorial Day since 2005 , according to its travel forecast released May 13. Most of those travelers will go by car. AAA expects a record-high 38.

4 million people will roadtrip 50 miles or more over the holiday weekend. That would make it the biggest crowd of roadtrippers since 2000, when AAA started tracking. A surge in demand for fuel will play a role in rising prices ahead of the weekend.

There are several reasons why gas prices go up , but a big one at this time of year is seasonal demand. In a normal year, drivers can expect to see a summer spike in prices just because there are more people on the road. It’s worth noting that recent memory puts a different spin on “spike.

” Just two years ago, inflation and super-high oil prices (because of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine) contributed to sky-high gas prices. On Memorial Day in 2022, a gallon of regular gas cost $4.62 on average, according to a review of EIA da.