2024 holiday travel to see 3 million more travelers than 2023, according to AAA

This holiday season, almost 120 million people will travel at least 50 miles from their homes between Dec. 21, 2024, and Jan. 1, 2025, AAA said. Domestic travel is expected to hit a new record with 3 million more people traveling this year than in 2023.

“Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday this year, which puts both the weekend before and after the holiday in play for travelers,” Mark Schieldrop, senior spokesperson for AAA Northeast said in a statement. “We continue to see demand for travel soar at this time of year as Americans visit family and friends and take in new destinations.”

About 90% of holiday travelers will drive to their destination with 107 million hitting the road, 2.5 million more than in 2023, AAA reported.

The busiest rental car pickup days will be on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21, AAA said.

“The busiest time for rental returns is expected to be the weekend after Christmas and the following Monday,” the AAA said.

This holiday season, 7.85 million people will be flying, surpassing the previous record of 7.5 million in 2023, AAA said.

Domestic flights and international flights will be 4% and 13% more expensive than last year, respectively, AAA said.

The number of Americans traveling by bus, train and cruise this holiday season is up by almost 10% over 2023, AAA said. Nearly 4.5 million people will travel by other means of transportation. Domestic cruise bookings are up by 37% compared to last holiday season.