The Fourth of July might be on a Tuesday this, year but that’s not stopping people from traveling.
More than 50 million Americans will travel 50 miles or farther from their home for the holiday this year, according to projections from auto association AAA. The majority of travelers will be driving to their destinations.
“We’ve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend,” said Paula Twidale, AAA Travel senior vice president.
This year’s projection surpasses the 49 million travelers that were forecast for the 2019 holiday, before the pandemic, according to AAA. It’s also about two million more people than last year’s prediction.
The record amount of travel expected comes even as the consumer price index for June was up 4% from the same month in 2022.
“What this tells us is that despite inventory being limited and some prices 50% higher, consumers are not cutting back on travel this summer,” Twidale said.
However, the cost of traveling has eased up compared to 2022.
About 91% of the holiday travel is expected to happen by car, which might be due to better gas prices.
On July 4, 2022, the average price for a gallon of regular gas was $4.80. This year, the average is around $3.53.
Car rental prices are also down, costing an average of $47 per day this year, a 25% decrease from the same time last year, according to airfare website Hopper. Travelers are booking cars for an average of six days compared to three days in 2022, likely due to the holiday being on Tuesday this year.
Peak congestion for the Savannah to Atlanta route via I-16 W is expected on Tuesday around 6 p.m., according to AAA. The journey is expected to take six hours and 18 minutes, whereas it usually takes about four hours.
Another 4.2 million Americans, or 8.2% of travelers, are expected to travel to their Independence Day destinations by plane as flight prices drop. That’s the highest percentage of travelers by air for July Fourth in about two decades.
An average round trip domestic airfare for the July Fourth weekend dropped more than $100 or 27% to $300 this year, in line with 2019 prices, according to Hopper. Hotels are averaging $197 per night.
Atlanta, Dallas, Denver and Los Angeles will be the busiest airport hubs, according to Hopper.
Return flights are expected to be busiest on July 5, with about 3.5 million passengers expected to fly.
Augusta Regional Airport didn’t respond to a request for local travel projections. However, the airport has a direct flight to Washington D.C., which is sure to be extra popular this week.
