According to AAA, a record-breaking 46.9 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home this Independence Day holiday, an increase of more than 5 percent compared to last year and the highest number since AAA started tracking 18 years ago. For the 39.7 million Americans planning a Fourth of July road trip, INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, predicts travel times in the most congested cities in the U.S. could be twice as long than the normal trip, with Tuesday being the busiest day.
Here are some of the forecasted travel volume stats reported by AAA about this record-breaking holiday.
- Automobiles: The vast majority of travelers – 39.7 million – will hit the road this Independence Day (5.1 percent more than last year).
- Planes: A record-breaking 3.8 million people will travel by air (a 7.9 percent increase and the ninth consecutive year that air travel volume has increased.
- Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships: Travel across these sectors will increase by 5.8 percent to a total of 3.5 million passengers.
These projections from AAA are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Markit, a world leader in critical information, analytics and expertise, and information gathered by INRIX. Historical travel volume estimates come from TRAVEL PERFORMANCE/MonitorSM, a comprehensive study measuring the travel behavior of U.S. residents, by DK Shifflet, an MMGY Global company.
For more information on the busiest days and times to travel and more insights, read the full AAA article here.