This may be the most wonderful time of the year, but it’s also one of the busiest for travel, according to a new report. AAA estimates that 112.7-million people will be traveling 50 miles or more from home during the year-end holidays (December 23rd to January 2nd).
- That’s 3.6-million more travelers than last year and close to pre-pandemic numbers.
- AAA expects 2022 to be the third busiest year for holiday travel since they started tracking the numbers in 2000.
- With Christmas Day and New Year’s Day falling on Sundays this year, travel time will be extended and Paula Twidale, AAA’s Senior Vice President of Travel, says they’re seeing more folks take long weekends and be more flexible with their departure and return dates.
So how are all these people getting to where they’re going?
- Lots of them will be on the road, as close to 102-million Americans will be driving to their holiday destinations. That’s an increase of 2-million drivers from 2021.
- More folks will be flying as well, despite higher airline ticket prices. Nearly 7.2-million Americans are expected to take to the sky, a 14% increase over last year.
- AAA estimates that travel by other modes of transportation - including bus, rail and cruise ship - will see 3.63-million passengers during the holidays, up 23% from 2021.
If you’re one of the 102-million people hitting the road to get to your holiday destination, be prepared to hit traffic.
- The most congested days for driving are predicted to be the Friday before Christmas, December 23rd, as well as December 27th and 28th, and Monday, January 2nd, according to INRIX, who provides transportation analytics.
- Major metro areas, like New York City and Los Angeles, could see double the typical delays, while the rest of the country could see travel times that are 25% longer.
- INRIX expects Tuesday, December 27th to be the worst day for travel overall.
Source: AAA