Nearly 71 million people are expected to travel over July 4 holiday, according to the AAA.
The organization has forecast that more than 70.9 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home during the holiday week, a figure exceeding pre-pandemic numbers and setting a new record.
“With summer vacations in full swing and the flexibility of remote work, more Americans are taking extended trips around Independence Day,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel.
“We anticipate this July 4 week will be the busiest ever with an additional 5.7 million people traveling compared to 2019.”
AAA projects a record 60.6 million people will travel by car over Independence Day week – an additional 2.8 million travelers compared to last year.
The number of air travelers is also expected to set a new record. AAA projects 5.74 million people will fly to their July 4 destinations – an increase of nearly seven per cent compared to last year and a 12 per cent increase over 2019.
More than 4.6 million people are expected to travel by other modes of transportation, including buses, cruises, and trains.
INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, has said the worst times to travel by car before and on July 4 are between 2pm and 7pm. They estimate road trips over the holiday week could take up to 67 per cent longer than normal.
