Record-Breaking Road Trips: July 4th Travel Forecast 2025
More than 72 million Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home for their Independence Day holiday road trips from June 28 through July 6. 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, according to AAA.
“Summertime is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year, and July 4 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.”
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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.
AAA recommends getting routine vehicle maintenance ahead of a trip and packing an emergency kit. Last July 4 week, AAA responded to nearly 700,000 emergency roadside assistance calls for issues such as dead batteries, flat tires, people locking themselves out of their car or running out of gas.
Although drivers are seeing some price increases at the pump, summer gas prices still are the lowest they’ve been since 2021. This year, the price of crude oil has kept gas prices on the lower side. The Israel-Iran conflict has driven up the price of oil in recent days, but not dramatically. Escalation and duration of the conflict are two factors to watch.
Weather also is a wild card. The Atlantic hurricane season is under way, and NOAA predicts a 60 percent chance of an above-normal season. Storms along the Gulf Coast can affect oil refineries and disrupt fuel deliveries, leading to a temporary increase in gas prices.
For travelers who are renting cars, AAA car rental partner Hertz said July 3 is expected to be the busiest day to pick up vehicles. Some of the top destinations based on advanced bookings also are on AAA’s list of most popular places to visit over July 4 — Orlando, Denver, Boston, Oahu and Seattle. Most drivers are looking to rent SUVs and midsize sedans.
The number of people traveling by air also is projected to set a new record. AAA expects 5.84 million travelers will fly to their destination. 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.
–Dwight Widaman
