This Monday, Americans pause to honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to this country. 
It is worth saying clearly, because the distinction matters: Memorial Day is not Veterans Day. Veterans Day, observed in November, honors all who have served — the living veterans among us. Memorial Day is specifically for those who gave everything. Who did not come home. Who are remembered in cemeteries, in folded flags, in the hearts of families who carry their absence every single day.
America is the land of the free because of the brave. That is not a bumper sticker. It is the truth.
This Memorial Day carries a particular weight for me. Twenty years ago this weekend, I was at Camp Victory outside Baghdad, Iraq, attending a Memorial Day ceremony. It was at the beginning of my one-year deployment — the same deployment that brought Buddy into my life. Standing at that ceremony, in a combat zone, honoring fallen American service members, was a profound Memorial Day experience. I think about it every year when this weekend comes around.
So as you head out this weekend — to the airport, to the highway, to the backyard barbecue — take a moment. Just one genuine moment. Remember why you have the freedom to go where you are going. Remember the families for whom this weekend is not a celebration but a day of grief and honor. And then go enjoy every mile of your trip, because that enjoyment is exactly what they fought for.
Now — let’s make sure you get there safely and on time.
If You Are Flying This Weekend: The Flight Plan Approach to Travel
Airports this Memorial Day weekend are expected to be extraordinarily busy. AAA is projecting over 3½ million people will travel by air this holiday weekend (newsroom.aaa.com). Memorial Day weekend traditionally signals the start of the summer travel season — which means the crowds do not let up until Labor Day. Schools are out, families are moving, and everyone seems to be going somewhere at the same time.
The single most important thing you can do is arrive early. Not just early — the right kind of early.
On our YouTube channel – @BuddysTravelsTV, I introduced what we call The Flight Plan Approach to Travel. The name comes from aviation. Pilots do not simply plan to arrive at their destination — they build time margins into every flight to account for weather, air traffic, and the unexpected. Smart travelers should think exactly the same way.
Here are our standard arrival time recommendations:
Smaller Regional Airports — Domestic Flights
- Without TSA PreCheck or CLEAR: arrive 2 hours before departure
- With expedited security screening: arrive 1.5 hours before departure
Large International Airports (Atlanta, JFK, LAX, Chicago, Dallas) — Domestic Flights
- Without expedited security screening: arrive 2.5 hours before departure
- With TSA PreCheck or CLEAR: arrive 2 hours before departure
Large International Airports — International Flights
- Without expedited security screening: arrive 3 hours before departure
- With TSA PreCheck or CLEAR: arrive 2.5 hours before departure
These times are designed to get you checked in, through security, and to your gate with approximately a 30-minute buffer — time to breathe, grab a coffee, and board without rushing.
For Memorial Day Weekend and the Summer Travel Season — Add More Time ⏱️
With Memorial Day marking the start of summer travel and schools now out across the country, add the following on top of the standard times above:
- Smaller regional airports: add 30 minutes
- Large international airports: add a full hour
I know that sounds like a lot. But consider the alternative — missing your flight because the security line was longer than you expected, or watching your gate close while you are still in the terminal. The cost of arriving early is sitting in the lounge or at the gate with time to spare. The cost of arriving late can be a missed flight, a hotel night, and a ruined start to your weekend.
Our philosophy: You cannot eliminate every delay. But you can control how prepared you are for your flight.
If everything moves quickly, you relax at the gate. If something slows you down, you are already protected. That is the Flight Plan approach — build the margin in, and let the margin do its job.
And pack patience. Seriously. The large airports this weekend will be crowded, loud, and occasionally chaotic. The security lines will be long. The gate areas will be full. None of that is within your control. What is within your control is your attitude, your preparation, and your arrival time. Bring all three.
If You Are Driving This Weekend: Know Your Limits
AAA projects that over 39 million Americans will travel by car this Memorial Day weekend, making it one of the busiest driving weekends of the entire year (newsroom.aaa.com). Gas prices remain elevated, but Americans are hitting the road regardless — and that means more vehicles, more congestion, and more fatigue-related risk on the highways.
Driver fatigue is one of the leading causes of serious traffic accidents, particularly on holiday weekends when people push themselves to drive longer than they should to reach their destination (www.nhtsa.gov). The temptation is understandable — you want to get there. But arriving exhausted, or not arriving at all, is not worth the saved time.
I apply the same principle to driving that pilots apply to flying: personal minimums.
In aviation, personal minimums are the conditions under which a pilot decides it is no longer safe to fly — wind too strong, visibility too low, fatigue too significant — and cancels or delays the flight. It is not a weakness to set personal minimums. It is sound judgment. The same principle applies behind the wheel.
My personal driving minimums are straightforward: no more than 10 total hours of driving in a single day, with a short break every 3 to 4 hours regardless of how good I feel. I have a 13-hour drive to Orlando that I genuinely enjoy — but I always stop overnight in the Florida Panhandle and complete the trip the next morning. I arrive rested, not depleted. Now that I am married, my wife and I take turns driving on long trips, which extends what we can comfortably cover in a day — and we still stop every 3 to 4 hours to break up the journey.
Breaking the trip up also keeps me from the trap of speeding to get there faster. When you know you are stopping soon, the urgency fades. You drive at a reasonable pace, and you notice the road. You arrive safely.
Preparation is Key
Before any long road trip, I do what we called pre-combat checks in the military — a systematic inspection before moving out. Applied to driving, that means:
- First aid kit in the vehicle
- Jumper cables on board
- Spare tire checked and properly inflated
- All lights and vehicle systems working
- Plenty of water and snacks for the road
- Route reviewed in advance for construction, closures, and toll roads
On the subject of tolls — I have a toll transponder on my windshield that covers more than 20 states, which is significantly cheaper and more convenient than paying individual cash tolls or receiving bills in the mail weeks later. If you travel by car regularly across state lines, a multi-state toll transponder is worth every penny. Look up your route in advance and know what toll roads you will encounter.
None of this is complicated. It is basic, common sense applied consistently. The military taught me to prepare before I moved, not after things went wrong. That habit has served me well on every road trip since.
Buddy always appreciates arriving safely. He has never once complained about a rest stop. 
In Closing
This weekend is one of America’s great traditions — a time to gather, to travel, to celebrate the freedoms that define this country. Enjoy every moment of it.
But take that moment. The quiet one. The one where you remember that the freedom to go where you are going this weekend was purchased at an extraordinary price by men and women who never made it home.
Honor them. Remember them. And travel safely.
From Buddy and me — happy Memorial Day.
Traveling this weekend? Share your destination in the comments. And for more travel tips for the summer season ahead, subscribe to our Newsletter — new posts every week.