AAA predicts busy summer travel season for 2024 and gives tips for vacationers

BLUEFIELD, W. Va. (WVVA) -If you are planning a trip this summer, you definitely won’t be alone. AAA says they’re expecting this year to see an especially busy summer travel season that may even be record-breaking.

“People are ready to travel, you know? I think it’s still some of… that result of coming out of COVID and that people just really are ready to get back out there and get together with family and friends and make memories,” says Kara Hitchens, Public Affairs Manager for AAA.

Hitchens says they expect to see an uptick in travel with the unofficial start of summer, Memorial Day, and with other holidays: the Fourth of July and Labor Day. She also expects the July through August timeframe to be one of the busiest times.

This may create some challenges for those planning on hotel vacancies or car rentals, so plan ahead. If your trip includes air travel, you may want to plan for unplanned delays by adding some flexibility into your schedule.

“…I think it was a couple of summers ago when there’s was lots of cancellations and lots of delays… if you’ve got your flight schedule for one, if you’ve got it booked back-to-back, and there’s very little room for a layover, you know, if one flight’s delayed and, you know, there’s no room for a layover, you’re likely going to miss that very next flight, so build a little cushion room in there and be ready for adjustments,” says Hitchens.

Hitchens recommends downloading your airline’s official app to keep up to date on delays and cancellations. But if your travels take you out of the country, you may want to take some extra precautions.

“…we always remind people to, if you’re traveling internationally specifically, to check the State Department’s website that way you’ll know of any areas in the world that may be of concern to the State Department, and we tell people to make sure that you register your travel so that if something does happen does happen in another country, the state department knows that you’re in that country and you can be reached and exported safely,” says Hitchens.

You should also consider getting a REAL ID. While it may not be required for flights until next year, she says getting it done early will help avoid any delays due to the potential for a backlog as demand increases for the people who will wait until the last minute.

Hitchens also recommends getting the entire vacation group involved in the planning to help make sure everyone has a good time.

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