AAA projects near record-high number of people will travel over the holidays this year

The holiday travel season surrounding Christmas and New Year’s is expected to be one of the busiest on record.

AAA released its holiday travel forecast Monday, projecting 115.2 million people will go at least 50 miles from home during the 10-day holiday travel period. That’s an over 2% increase over last year and the second-highest year-end travel forecast since AAA started tracking travel data in 2000. 2019 remains the busiest year-end travel period on record, with 119 million travelers.

“This year’s holiday forecast is a perfect example of the strong travel trends we’ve been seeing all year,” said Bevi Powell, senior vice president, of AAA East Central. “More Americans are investing in travel, so they can make those special memories with loved ones and experience new places.”

Of those taking a holiday trip, AAA expects 104 million people to drive, which is 1.8% more than in 2022. There are a couple of days that have the potential for bad traffic — INRIX projects Dec. 23, Dec. 28 and Dec. 30 will be the most congested. They recommend hitting the road before lunch or after 7 p.m. to avoid potential snags.

Airports are expected to be the busiest they’ve ever been around this time of year, with an estimated 7.5 million air travelers going through their corridors.

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