AAA predicts record-breaking holiday travel season

AAA said record-breaking holiday travel is right around the corner. The organization projects 119 million people will travel 50 miles or more over the year-end holiday period. That’s more than the previous record set in 2019.

Elizabeth Carey, AAA’s director of public relations, said the organization expects a busy stretch between Saturday, Dec. 21 and New Year’s Day.

“This year, with Christmas falling on a Wednesday, a lot of people will be traveling and spreading out their holiday days, so there might not be one specific day that’s the busiest day for travel because people can spread that out amid that entire week and beyond,” she said.

And she said she’s not surprised by the record-breaking projections.

“Some of the trends we’re seeing with travel right now are people really wanting to make memories with their loved ones, have experiences with their families,” Carey said. “Rather than just sitting around a Christmas tree, they’ll do that, but then they’ll take a cruise or a ski vacation or a trip.”

About 7.85 million people are expected to travel by air. Robin Mitchell, a senior travel advisor in AAA’s DeWitt office, recommends showing up 2.5-3 hours before your flight and using your airline’s technology to help your trip run more smoothly.

“We recommend that you download the app. The app is your friend,” she said. “You can pre-check in. You can pre-check bags. You can pay for them. We also recommend that you go online to your local airport to see if they do advance parking.”

If you’re one of the 107 million people traveling by car, AAA’s Mark Gruba said make sure your vehicle is road trip ready and plan ahead.

“The best time to be on the road on these busy days (is) before lunchtime or after 7 p.m. Try to avoid those afternoon hours,” Gruba said.

Highways and airports aren’t the only places expected to be busy. AAA said the number of Americans traveling by bus, train, and cruise ships is up nearly 10 percent from last year.