Millions of Spring Break travelers head back to North Texas amid gloomy weather
NORTH TEXAS — It's the Spring Break travel rush in reverse. Millions of travelers are anticipated to return to North Texas Sunday on the roads and in the air.
Overcast skies greeted travelers in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
Emory Aregon had quite the drive with his 10-year-old grandson E.J.
"We're here for the Elks Hoop Shoot Regional Competition," Aregon said. "We traveled from Las Vegas, New Mexico, which is about a nine-to-10-hour drive. It's a pretty long drive."
The pair arrived in North Texas Friday, and stormy weather made their drive more complicated.
"It was hectic and a lot of traffic, especially with the rain," Aregon said. "It was a lot of rain delays heading this way, so we hit a lot of traffic. I couldn't drive fast. It was about 35, 40 on the freeways."
People looking to get away for Spring Break also flooded airlines. DFW Airport officials said they're expecting 4.6 million travelers this year.
"Flights were about 20% higher than they were a year ago last Spring Break. Flight bookings were up by about 20%. Gas prices, while they have climbed over the past few days, were pretty close to what they were last year," AAA Texas spokesperson Daniel Armbruster said.
The next big travel holiday is for Memorial Day weekend. AAA Texas predicts a record number of people will travel then, and they have some advice.
"Work with a travel advisor; Make sure you plan ahead, well in advance—Don't wait until the last minute; And certainly, always pack your patience. Whether you're driving or flying over these major holiday weekends, you're going to have a lot of company with you," Armbruster said.
Aregon said preparation is key for him as he hit the road and drove back to New Mexico.
"I already got my coffee, so we're ready to go," Aregon said. "Just drive and pay attention to other drivers. I know we're going to have a lot of traffic. Probably a 10-hour drive is going to turn into a 12-hour drive."
AAA Texas reports gas prices are about 20 cents more per gallon than a week ago, but that didn't stop many people from traveling for Spring Break.
