WASHINGTON, DC (June 20, 2024) – AAA projects that 70.9 million travelers will journey 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day holiday travel period. For the first time, AAA analyzed the entire July 4th week, including the Saturday before and the Sunday after the holiday. This year’s projected number of travelers for that time period represents a 5% increase compared to 2023 and an 8% increase over 2019.
“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 4th 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. This year’s number also surpasses 2019 when 55.3 million people traveled by car over July 4th week. According to Hertz, AAA's car rental partner, Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are experiencing the highest rental demand during the holiday week. The busiest pick-up days are expected to be Friday, June 28; Saturday, June 29; and Wednesday, July 3.
Gas prices are lower than last year when the national average was $3.53 per gallon. Pump prices are likely to continue decreasing leading up to Independence Day but may stabilize until after Labor Day unless hurricane season impacts Gulf Coast oil production and refining centers.
The number of air travelers is also expected to set a new record with AAA projecting that approximately 5.74 million people will fly to their July 4th destinations – a nearly 7% increase compared to last year and a 12% increase over 2019. Domestic airfare is reported to be about 2% cheaper this Independence Day week compared to last year with an average price for a domestic roundtrip ticket at $800.
More than 4.6 million people are expected to travel by other modes of transportation such as buses, cruises, and trains – a category seeing a rise of about 9% compared to last year but still slightly below the figure for this mode in pre-pandemic years.
INRIX advises drivers in large metro areas can expect significant traffic delays on Wednesday, July 3rd as they leave town and on Sunday, July 7th as they return with road trips potentially taking up to two-thirds longer than normal.
Top destinations for travelers include Seattle, Vancouver (BC), Anchorage due to Alaska cruise popularity; South Florida beaches; Honolulu; Punta Cana; Barcelona; and historical European cities like London, Rome, Dublin, Paris, and Athens based on AAA booking data.
AAA has partnered with Chicco for family road trip safety tips including checking car seat fitment and installation security among others.
The travel forecast was developed using S&P Global Market Intelligence's proprietary databases including macroeconomic drivers related to employment rates and gasoline prices among others.
For further details on these projections or membership information visit www.AAA.com.
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