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Best and worst times to travel this Christmas and New Year’s

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Best and worst times to travel this Christmas and New Year’s

Just like the Thanksgiving travel season, records are again expected to be broken during the 2024 year-end holiday travel season, according to AAA’s predictions. AAA is projecting 119.3 million people will travel 50 miles or more from their homes between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1, surpassing the record set in 2019 by 64,000 travelers and exceeding 2023’s total by three million.

“This is the time of year when lifelong memories are made with loved ones, and travel plays a big role in that,” Vice President of AAA Travel Stacey Barber said. “This year, with Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday, we’re anticipating record-breaking travel numbers the weekend before and the weekend after the holiday.”

Here’s what to know.

The most popular domestic year-end holiday destinations

Travelers seem to be in search of warmer weather this holiday season as the majority of the most popular domestic holiday destinations on AAA’s list this year are in southern states, with the exception of New York City.

  • Orlando, Florida
  • Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • Miami, Florida
  • Anaheim/Los Angeles, California
  • Tampa, Florida
  • Las Vegas, Nevada
  • Honolulu, Hawaii
  • Charleston, South Carolina
  • New Orleans, Louisiana
  • New York City

The best and worst times to drive for the year-end holidays

As AAA is projecting 107 million people to travel by car between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1, you should avoid traveling by car the weekends before Christmas Day and New Year’s Day, according to transportation data and insights provider INRIX, but you should have the best travel luck on the holidays themselves — Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.

Nationwide, travel could be up to 30% longer, INRIX says, and in New York City, specifically, drivers could see double the typical delays.

“With a near record number of auto travelers expected this holiday season, drivers should expect delays in and around major metro areas, with Sunday, December 22 expected to be the nation’s worst day to travel,” transportation analyst at INRIX Bob Pishue says. “Our advice is to avoid traveling during peak commuting hours during the week. If schedules allow, leave bright and early or after the evening commute.”

What to expect: Will New York see a white Christmas this year?

Here are the best and worst times to travel by car this year-end holiday season, according to AAA and INRIX:

Sunday, Dec. 22

  • Best: Before noon
  • Worst: 3-8 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 23

  • Best: Before 11 a.m.
  • Worst: 1-6 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 24 and Wednesday, Dec. 25

  • Minimal traffic impact expected

Thursday, Dec. 26

  • Best: Before 11 a.m.
  • Worst: Noon-5 p.m.

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Friday, Dec. 27

  • Best: Before 2 p.m.
  • Worst: 3-7 p.m.

Saturday, Dec. 28

  • Best: Before 11 a.m.
  • Worst: 1:30-7 p.m.

Sunday, Dec. 29

  • Best: Before 11 a.m.
  • Worst: Noon-6 p.m.

Monday, Dec. 30

  • Best: Before 2 p.m.
  • Worst: 5-7 p.m.

Tuesday, Dec. 31 and Wednesday, Jan. 1

  • Minimal traffic impact expected

Thursday, Jan. 2

  • Best: Before 3 p.m.
  • Worst: 4-8 p.m.

If you’re planning to drive from New York City to the Hamptons via the Long Island Expressway E, the worst travel day will be Sunday, Dec. 22 at 4:30 p.m. as you’ll experience an estimated travel time of over 2 1/2 hours — a 108% increase compared to the typical drive.

Holiday travel: How to avoid delays at airport checkpoints during the holiday season in upstate NY

Best and worst days to fly for year-end holidays

Between Monday, Dec. 23, and New Year’s Day, 32.5 million seats are scheduled to depart from U.S. airports, USA TODAY reported, which is a 2.4% increase from last year, according to Hopper’s Christmas Outlook. Although there isn’t a specific day that stands out as the busiest, Hopper anticipates that the entire travel period between Christmas and New Year’s will have high volumes of air passengers.

Travelers can avoid the worst crowds if they fly on Christmas Eve, Christmas, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s. Not surprisingly, those popular travel days are also when airfare is the most expensive for the holiday season. But a little flexibility on travel days and times can help unlock better last-minute deals.

A new record of people flying domestically between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1 is expected to be set this year as AAA projects 7.85 million people will do so, which surpasses last year’s record-setting number of 7.5 million people.

Tickets for domestic flights are also 4% more expensive compared to last year with an average domestic ticket costing $830 and international flights are 13% more expensive, averaging $1,630 per ticket.

Contributing: USA TODAY

Emily Barnes reports on consumer-related issues for the USA TODAY Network’s New York Connect Team, focusing on scam and recall-related topics. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram @byemilybarnes. Get in touch at ebarnes@gannett.com.

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