If you thought the historic Thanksgiving mass travel was a doozy, brace yourself for Christmas and New Year's.
AAA predicts 115.2 travelers across America this December holiday season, the second busiest holiday travel era since the agency started tracking trends in 2000. And it's on trend with a year where Americans have decided to leave home on many an occasion.
Travelers are considered people voyaging 50 miles or more from home. 115.2 folks will likely do so during the last 10 days of the 2023. This year's total number of domestic travelers is at a 2.2% increase over last year, with a 4.7% increase in air travel and 1.8% increase in auto travel since 2022.
“This year-end holiday forecast, with an additional 2.5 million travelers compared to last year, mirrors what AAA Travel has been observing throughout 2023,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel. “More Americans are investing in travel, despite the cost, to make memories with loved ones and experience new places.”
So yes, the roads will be busy. AAA expects nearly 104 million people will drive to their holiday destinations, the second highest on record after 2019 when 108 million drivers hit the road over the same holiday time period. Luckily for road trippers, a gallon of gas costs about the same as last holiday season. 2022's national average price for gas on Christmas Day was $3.10 and New Year’s Day was $3.20. As of December 11, the national average is $3.15.
If you're just on the road to get to the airport, brace yourself. American airports are about to break records. Airports are expected to be the busiest they’ve ever been this holiday season. AAA projects there will be about 7.5 million air travelers this holiday season, the most over following 2019’s record of 7.3 million passengers. Bring a charger and a good book, and prepare to splurge on a few water bottles.