Almost 6M Texans to travel for 4th of July holiday, AAA Texas projects

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Approximately 5.6 million Texans will hit the road or take to the skies to travel for the Fourth of July holiday week, according to travel projections from AAA Texas.

Texas’ travel projections mark a 5.2% increase in expected travel volume compared to the 2023 holiday. Nationwide, an estimated 70.9 million travelers will venture 50 miles or more from their home for the holiday festivities.

AAA Texas is considering the Fourth of July holiday travel period as Saturday, June 29 through Sunday, July 7, given the “popularity of remote work and many choosing to take summer vacations during this holiday,” AAA Texas officials said in a release.

Among the projected 5.6 million Texans expected to travel, AAA Texas broke down those figures into:

• 4.8 million travelers via vehicle
• 555,000 travelers via plane
• 242,000 travelers via alternative travel methods (such as bus, train, boat, etc.)

Nationwide, the expected 70.9 million travelers is divvied into the following expected travel modes:

• 60.6 million travelers via vehicle
• 5.74 million travelers via plane
• 4.62 million travelers via alternative travel methods (such as bus, train, boat, etc.)

“We anticipate this July 4th week will be the busiest for this holiday ever,” AAA Texas’ Vice President and General Manager Galen Grillo said in the release. “Travel is in high gear this summer with more people not only booking domestic trips, but AAA travel advisors are seeing more international and cruise bookings as many people are taking bucket list vacations.”

A spokesperson for AAA Texas told KXAN they anticipate the worst traffic delays in Texas metro areas will happen on July 3 and on July 7 as people leave and return to town. The spokesperson recommended travelers hitting the roads either leave early in the morning or wait to travel until after 8 p.m. during the holiday time period to avoid any evening congestion levels.