The Memorial Day weekend is a time of remembrance and perhaps of reflection, but it is also a time of celebration and travel for many. Interestingly, the number of people traveling this weekend is expected to be the highest it’s been in quite a while. According to this travel forecast put together by AAA, about 36.1 million Americans will be traveling on the roads this holiday. That’s nearly 12% of the US population, so there’s a chance we might see each other!
That is, if we can get through the traffic.
Whether you’re going to be traveling or staying at home, let’s take a moment to remember what Memorial Day is really about. And you might be curious to see what other people are doing this weekend so let’s check that out as well.
To start, it looks like these are the trending topics that come up with a search for “memorial day weekend.”
Conversations seem to be varied, with topics ranging from “summer bbq” and “long weekend” to “veterans” and “service men.” Overall, the discussion seems to be fairly divided between topics related to Travel/Celebrations and those that are related to Services/Honor. Taking a closer look, it seems like there is slightly more content related to Travel/Parties (in Red) than there is for Services/Honor (in Blue).
Speaking of parties, Mashable has an interesting article about the technology you’ll need for a Memorial Day weekend celebration, and how it has changed over the years.
So are people focusing more on the 3 day weekend than honoring and remembering the fallen? Not necessarily. While there is slightly more content about travel plans and celebrations, I believe this extra volume is coming from News sources advertising deals and promotions. A very sizable portion of the conversation is still related to Service/Honor, so Americans have definitely not forgotten the significance of Memorial Day.
Also, it is because of the service and sacrifice of the military forces that we’re all able to enjoy the holiday weekend in peace and safety, so celebrating this could be another way to honor and remember our soldiers.
Hopefully as the weekend progresses you’ll have the chance to enjoy some quality time with your friends and family, and maybe reflect a bit as well. Safe travels, and have a fantastic weekend!
