AAA Forecasts Record July 4 Travel Rush
More than 70 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home during the long Independence Day weekend, according to AAA projections. This year’s domestic travel forecast is an increase of 1.7 million travelers compared to last year and seven million more than in 2019, spurred in part by the nation’s 250th birthday and tumbling gas prices.
“Summertime is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year, and July 4th is one of the most popular times to get away,” said Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel. “Following Memorial Day’s record forecast, AAA is seeing strong demand for road trips and air travel over Independence Day week. With the holiday falling on a Friday, travelers have the option of making it a long weekend or taking the entire week to make memories with family and friends.”
AAA projects that 61.6 million people will travel by car, a 2.2 percent increase over last year and the highest volume on record. This Independence Day holiday period is expected to see an additional 1.3 million road travelers compared to 2024.
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AAA recommends getting routine vehicle maintenance ahead of a road trip and packing an emergency kit. Last July 4 week, the organization responded to nearly 700,000 emergency roadside assistance calls for issues such as dead batteries, flat tires, people locking themselves out of their cars and running out of gas. For travelers renting cars, Hertz said July 3 is expected to be the busiest day to pick up vehicles. Some of the top destinations based on advanced bookings are Orlando, Denver, Boston, Oahu, and Seattle.
The number of people traveling by air is also projected to set a new record. AAA expects that 5.84 million travelers will fly to their destinations, which is 8 percent of all Independence Day travelers. This year’s projection is a 1.4 percent increase over the previous record set last Independence Day week of 5.76 million air travelers.
Travel by other modes is expected to grow by 7.4 percent over last year. AAA projects 4.78 million people will travel by bus, train or cruise. This year’s number is just short of the 2019 record of 4.79 million. Alaska cruises are in peak season, Florida and Hawaii are in high demand for their resorts and attractions and New York and Boston hold two of the most popular fireworks shows in the nation. Kansas City, host to World Cup games, has also seen a huge increase.
–Alan Goforth
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