Post-pandemic travel on the rise after a busy Memorial Day weekend

HAMMONTON, New Jersey (WPVI) -- As Memorial Day weekend winds down, plenty of people on the roads say this was just the start of their post-pandemic travel.

After a rainy weekend in Wildwood, New Jersey, we found one family from Pittsburgh, Pa. making a pit stop at the Frank S. Farley Service Plaza on the Atlantic City Expressway in Hammonton.

"It started storming, we were running for the car," said Terri Dreucci.

But this family isn't done traveling yet.

"We're going to Hershey and then we'll head home," she said.

But they say even with all the storms, this trip was just what they needed.

"You're stuck in your house constantly. And now you're like - out and talking to people with no masks on. It's awesome," Dreucci said.

According to AAA, about 450,000 people from the Philadelphia area planned to travel this Memorial Day weekend. That's a 60% increase from last year.

About 94% of them said they planned to travel by car. But air travel is also going up.

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On Friday, the TSA says it screened more than 1.9 million people at security checkpoints nationwide, the highest number since the start of the pandemic.

Ajah Jones, of South Philadelphia, and her family just got back from Orlando and said traveling felt surprisingly normal.

"Before everyone was scared to get on the plane and stuff but I mean we can't keep living in the shadows. We got to get back to normal some way," said Jones.

Gas prices are up, too.

Nationally gas is $3.04 per gallon. Last year it was $1.96, according to AAA.

But the folks we spoke with say it's not stopping them from their summer plans this year.