Some 42 million Americans will hit the road to travel during the Independence Day long weekend, which falls on July 4, despite record prices for fuelsThe American Automobile Association (AAA) said Tuesday.
The largest group of motorists in the country estimates that this year there will be an increase of 0.4% compared to the 41.8 million Americans who traveled by road on the same dates last year.
Record 42M people around the US expected to hit the road for trips over the July 4 weekend, AAA says. https://t.co/w8SMFUF7t5
— NBC News (@NBCNews) June 21, 2022
And all this despite the fact that the national gasoline average recently exceeded five dollars per gallon for the first time in the country’s history.
The trips by car will not be the only ones to grow this year. Travel by air, train, bus or sea, among others, is expected to increase compared to last year. AAA forecasts that a total of 47.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the holiday weekend.
This is an increase of 3.7% from 2021 and just 2% less than the figure recorded in 2019, the last year before the coronavirus pandemic began. In general, the car will account for 88% of all trips, while the air sector will absorb 7% and 5% for the other modes of travel.
The AAA points to recent problems with air travel and concerns about cancellations and delays as possible “catalysts” for this situation.
“The volume of travelers expected during Independence Day is a definite sign that summer travel is picking up steam,” said Debbie Haas, AAA Vice President of Travel of her forecast for travel beginning Thursday. , June 30, until Monday, July 4.
Travel bookings increased 60%, the organization said, pointing to Orlando (Florida) and Vancouver (Canada), as preferred destinations this year for Americans domestically and internationally, respectively.
This uptick could be seen despite travel prices set to be higher than last year, both by car and plane, with tickets 14% more expensive, with the lowest average airfare at $201, and mid-range hotels 23% more expensive.
