‘Tis the season to traditionally spend time with family and friends, and this year, Americans are traveling in record numbers.
AAA forecasts 107.3 million Americans will take to planes, trains, automobiles and other modes of transportation during the year-end holiday period from Saturday, Dec. 23 through Monday, Jan. 1.
This will be the highest year-end travel volume on record and a 3.1 percent increase in travel volume compared with last year.
“It’s exciting to anticipate a strong holiday travel season and to know that more people will be enjoying time with family and friends,” said Jim Lehman, President of AAA East Central. “Travelers should plan to arrive at the airport early and monitor traffic and weather along their route so that their trip is stress free.”
Based on historical and recent travel trends, drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion before the holiday week – TODAY, Wednesday, Dec. 20 and Thursday, Dec. 21 – in the late afternoon as commuters leave work early and mix with holiday travelers.
The 90 percent of holiday travelers choosing to drive will find the most expensive year-end gas prices since 2014. This December’s national average price is $2.47 (Dec. 1-13), which is 28 cents more than last December. The good news is that AAA does expect the average to drop by year-end, saving motorists a few pennies at the pump.
Hotel rates trend cheaper, car rentals increase year-over-year. Travelers will find savings this year at AAA Two and Three Diamond Rated hotels. On average, a Three Diamond hotel nightly rate is $156, a two percent year-over-year decrease. The Two Diamond nightly average rate is $121, a five percent decrease from last year.
Similar to Thanksgiving, car rental rates are more expensive on the year. At $74, the daily car rental rate increased 11 percent. This sets a new five-year record high rate for year-end holiday travel. The increase is on par with the rate increases seen at Thanksgiving.
For a second year, Orlando, Florida, and Anaheim, California, top this year’s top 10 holiday destinations based on AAA.com bookings. Warmer weather destinations reign supreme in winter months with Cancun, Kahului (Maui) and Montego Bay gaining in popularity as holiday spots compared with last year.
AAA East Central is a not-for-profit association with 81 local offices in Kentucky, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania and West Virginia serving 2.7 million members.