The great road trip returns this summer thanks to cheap gas

NEW YORK (AP) — Grab your sunglasses, a giant cup of coffee and prepare to hit the highway: 2016 is shaping up to be the summer of the road trip.

Cheap fuel prices have left many American families flush with spare cash, which they now plan to spend on vacations.

Initial data for the Memorial Day holiday weekend, the start of the travel season, is already signaling a strong summer for the tourism industry.

[...] AAA, one of the nation's largest travel agencies and a car lobbying group, is predicting 38 million people will travel for the holiday, the most since 2005.

"The great American road trip is officially back thanks to low gas prices," says Marshall Doney, CEO of AAA.

The average price for a gallon of gas is expected to be $2.24 by July and $2.20 in August, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The lobbying group for most U.S. carriers, Airlines for America, is predicting that 231.1 million passengers will fly in June, July and August.