More than 115 million people are expected to travel throughout the holiday season this year, the American Automobile Association (AAA) said on Monday, adding that it’ll be the second busiest travel season since it started keeping records in 2000.
“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.”
Of the 115.2 million people traveling more than 50 miles away from home, AAA said that 103.6 million will be driving, 7.51 million will be flying, and 4.05 million will use some other most of transportation. Compared to last year, that’s a 4.1%, 2.4%, and 4.1% difference, respectively.
For the report, AAA said it considered the holiday travel season to be Dec. 23, 2023, to Jan. 1, 2024. AAA added that it expects Dec. 23 and Dec. 28 to be the most congested travel days on the road. If you want to avoid the rush, AAA experts suggest leaving before lunchtime or after 7 p.m.