AAA is predicting record travel — surpassing figures seen prior to the coronavirus pandemic — this Fourth of July week.
Over this holiday, AAA is predicting 70.9 million travelers moving 50 miles or more from home. Of those, it forecasts that “a record 60.6 million people will travel by car over Independence Day week,” reflecting a 2.8 million increase from 2023. Further, that figure surpasses the pre-pandemic level seen in 2019, as 55.3 million traveling by vehicle.
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For the first time, AAA looked at the entire July 4th week, plus the Saturday before and the Sunday after the holiday. This year’s projected number of travelers for that time period is a 5% increase compared to 2023 and an 8% increase over 2019.
…AAA car rental partner Hertz says Dallas, Denver, Salt Lake City, Los Angeles, and San Francisco are the cities displaying the highest rental demand during the holiday week. The busiest pick-up days are projected to be Friday, June 28, Saturday, June 29, and Wednesday, July 3.
Last year, 67.4 million traveled for the holiday weekend, so AAA is predicting a 3.5 million bump this year, or 5.2 percent growth. It represents an 8.8 percent bump compared to the 2019 figures.
Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, said more Americans are taking “extended trips” around the Fourth of July holiday, citing summer vacation as well as the reality of remote workers.
“We anticipate this July 4th week will be the busiest ever with an additional 5.7 million people traveling compared to 2019,” Twidale added.
That coincides with the reality that this Fourth of July is the most expensive on record, according to data from the American Farm Bureau. The analysis found that a grocery bill for a cookout covering ten guests is up five percent from 2023 and a whopping 30 percent higher than it was five years ago, under former President Donald Trump’s presidency.
Further, gas prices have risen ahead of the holiday, averaging $3.50 per gallon.