Increased airfare and a record-breaking national average of $5 per gallon of gas won’t be stopping Americans from hitting the road this holiday weekend.
AAA’s 2022 Independence Day Travel Forecast predicts that 47.9 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from home over the Fourth of July holiday weekend. This is an increase of 3.7% from last year, as Americans are hitting the road at a higher rate since the beginning of the pandemic.
The numbers: Despite gas prices breaking records this summer, travelers will also be hitting the road — and air — in droves.
- Forty-two million Americans are predicted to travel during the holiday weekend via car.
- A little over 3.5 million people are predicted to travel by plane.
- And nearly 2.5 million people are predicted to use other methods of travel, such as a bus, train or cruise ship, according to AAA.
Prices: The holiday weekend is looking to be an expensive one.
- AAA reports that the lowest average cost of a plane ticket has increased about 14% in the last year to $201 per ticket. Airfare during the Fourth of July holiday is up 45% from 2019, according to ABC News.
- Hotel rooms, up 24% from last year, will reach an average of $244 a night for AAA approved hotels.
- Even though car rental prices have decreased 34% from last year, going for about $110 per day, the rates are still sky high compared to pre-pandemic rates of $40 per day on average.
Best and worst times to travel:
- ABC reports that Friday, July 1, will be the busiest day for air travel, but numbers are expected to drop on July 4.
- Thursday afternoon, June 30, and Friday, July 1, are supposed to be the most crowded days for driving as holiday travelers hit the road. If you have to drive on Friday, ABC recommends leaving before 10 a.m. or after 9 p.m., or Thursday before 7 a.m. and after 8 p.m.
- July 3 and 4 are expected to have the lightest road traffic.
Expect delays: According to the Deseret News, the flight industry is strained. If you’ll be traveling by air over the weekend, it may be fair to expect cancellations or delays.
- The country is currently seeing a national pilot shortage, the Deseret News reported. Travel is back at pre-pandemic levels, but airlines are still struggling to maintain enough pilots to support those numbers, due to pandemic staff losses.
Top destinations: Here are the top travel destinations for Americans over the Independence Day weekend, according to AAA.
Domestic:
- Orlando, Florida.
- Seattle, Washington.
- New York City.
- Anaheim, California.
- Anchorage, Alaska.
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
- Las Vegas.
- Honolulu.
- Denver.
- Chicago.
International:
- Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Paris.
- London.
- Rome.
- Amsterdam.
- Dublin, Ireland.
- Calgary, Alberta., Canada.
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
- Cancun, Mexico.
- Nassau, Bahamas.