Are you planning a summer vacation this year? Cheaper gas and a slowly improving economy may mean more families will travel this summer, a AAA survey indicates. The projections show only a small uptick over last year’s figures, which experts attribute to a still-shaky job market and a lasting trend of household debt.

With Memorial Day right around the corner, the start of the summer travel season is upon us. AAA predicts that 34.8 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles this long weekend, up by about half a million from last year. However, the study predicted that most of these travelers won’t splurge and will try to reduce spending on entertainment and food expenses. A majority of them will be taking road trips to avoid volatile air fares.

TripAdvisor has a more optimistic outlook. The travel site released the results of its own yearly summer travel survey that showed that 86% of its travelers are planning to go on vacation this summer, up from 81% last year.

Those who choose to fly this summer should expect fully-booked flights, especially on international routes, says Airlines for America. But this summer’s peak travel season will still be no match for the pre-recession record set back in 2007. Still, there’s good news: “Adjusted for inflation, average domestic airfares actually fell 16 percent over the [past decade] or 12 percent including ancillary services.”

Are you travelling more or less this summer? Sound off on our Facebook page!