Over 72 Million People to Travel For Fourth of July With 85% Taking Road Trips, Says AAA

The Fourth of July is this Friday and AAA says a record number of Americans plan to travel for the long holiday weekend with 85% of those traveling planning to travel by vehicle. The organization says an estimated 72.2 million people will travel at least 50 miles from their home for the holiday weekend through Sunday, July 6th. This year’s travel forecast is up by 1.7 million people compared to last year and 7 million more than pre-pandemic numbers in 2019.

“Summertime is one of the busiest travel seasons of the year, and July 4th is one of the most popular times to get away,” said Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel. “Following Memorial Day’s record forecast, AAA is seeing strong demand for road trips and air travel over Independence Day week. With the holiday falling on a Friday, travelers have the option of making it a long weekend or taking the entire week to make memories with family and friends.”

Out of that estimated 72.2 million travelers, 61.6 million will be traveling by vehicle, up 2.2% from 2024. AAA added this is also the highest volume on record. Those planning to travel are being reminded to plan ahead and give themselves enough time to their destinations. The good news is that gas prices have been cooling off again after recent Middle-East conflicts. AAA says gas prices have been the lowest for summer since 2021 with drivers paying about 40 cents less per gallon.

AAA projects the worst time to travel by car for tomorrow, July 2nd is between noon and 9pm; travelers should leave in the morning hours to avoid high traffic. The same goes for this Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.