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Christmas is this Saturday and Triple A is estimating that there will be over 110 million Americans planning to travel 50 miles or more away from their home from December 23rd to January 2nd.
The estimated traveling is an increase of 3.6 million people from last year and looks to overtake the pre-pandemic levels with 2022 expected to become the third busiest year for holiday travel since AAA began tracking numbers in 2000.
“This year, travel time will be extended due to Christmas Day and New Year’s Day falling on Sundays,” says Paula Twidale, AAA’s Senior Vice President of Travel. “With hybrid work schedules, we are seeing more people take long weekends to travel because they can work remotely at their destination and be more flexible with the days they depart and return.”
Almost 102 million of Americans will be driving to their destinations, an increase of 2 million drivers when compared to 2021. Vehicle traffic will still be lower than 2019 numbers, which were 108 million Americans.
For air travel, it continues to climb with an expected 14% increase over 2021, with almost 7.2 million Americans expected to fly.
“If the distance is not reasonable to drive, more people are taking to the air to maximize the time spent at their destination,” Twidale adds. “Conversely, if the travel distances are reasonable and more than one or two people in the household are taking the trip, it may be more cost-effective to drive rather than buy multiple air tickets, rent a car, and spend too much money before the fun even begins.”
Bus and rail travel is also expected to increase by 23% for the holiday season as well.
