Americans are on the move in large numbers this holiday season – from last-minute shopping dash to malls in large cities and areas to getting together on Christmas and New Year.
But there is a big jump in the inter-state traffic, with cars streaming out of towns and cities and on to the highways as people travel to be with family and friends in time for joyous holidays. The American holiday season was peaking on Saturday, rated to be the busiest travel day of the year.
American Automobile Association says around 107.3 million Americans will travel this holiday season using a variety of transportation modes including planes, trains and automobiles from Saturday, Dec. 23 through Monday, Jan. 1, 2018.
“This will be the highest year-end travel volume on record and a 3.1 percent increase in travel volume compared with last year,” the AAA says.
This year marks the ninth consecutive year of rising year-end holiday travel and since 2005, total year-end holiday travel volume has grown hugely by 21.6 million, a massive increase of more than 25 percent.
The travel this year comes amid a hopeful economic upswing and the lowest unemployment rate in years, and even the rising gas prices are not holding people back from hitting the road.
“More expensive gas prices are not swaying holiday revelers to stay home,” said Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president, Travel and Publishing.
“In fact, across the board this year, travel has increased year-over-year for every major holiday weekend – Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving – and we project the same for the year-end holiday period. We’ve seen the strong economy and growing consumer confidence fuel holiday travel all year long.”
A scene of traffic in Alexandria VA Photo: Views and News
According to TripAdvisor December 23 is the busiest day of travel.
The high volume of travels usually spanning hundreds of miles means it could take much longer for travelers to reach their destinations on the packed roads.
Weather would also be a factor for many, especially the areas forecast to receive rains and snowfall.
The Association says for the 97.4 million Americans traveling by automobile, INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, in collaboration with AAA, predicts travel times during the holiday week could be as much as three times longer than the normal trip.
Yet, the majority of travelers – 97.4 million – will hit the road, reflecting a a 3 percent year-over-year increase, according to AAA forecast.
Around 6.4 million people will travel by air, marking a 4.1 percent increase and the fourth year of consecutive air travel volume increases. The upward trends comes despite people being averse to air travels.
Among other sectors of transportation, the AAA says across trains, buses, rails and cruise ships the travel will increase by 2.2 percent to 3.6 million.
Orlando, Florida, and Anaheim, California will be top holiday destinations, based on AAA.com bookings.
The destinations with warmer weather are a big attraction in winter months with Cancun, Kahului (Maui) and Montego Bay gaining in popularity as holiday spots compared with last year..
The top ten destinations are likely to be Orlando, Fla. Anaheim, Calif., Cancun, Mexico, Honolulu, Hawaii, Kahului (Maui), Hawaii, Montego Bay, Jamaica, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, Miami, Fla., Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and New York, N.Y.
