Report: AAA projects over 122 million Americans will travel over the holidays

For the second year in a row, AAA predicts that a record-breaking number of Americans will travel for the holidays.

AAA’s recent projections say 122.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the 13-day year-end holiday period. This holiday period goes from Dec. 20 to Jan. 1.

The 2025 forecast is an increase of 2.2% from 2024, which saw a record 119.7 million travelers.

Many people will also be traveling to warm and sunny destinations such as Florida, Mexico and the Caribbean.

“Year-end travel is a mix of family road trips, friend getaways and tropical vacations,” said Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel. “Holiday celebrations look different for everyone, but a common thread is the desire to travel, whether it’s returning to your hometown or exploring new destinations.”

Here’s a look at what methods of travel people will be using and what the most popular destinations are this holiday season.

How many people will be traveling on the road during the holidays?

According to AAA, 109.5 million Americans are projected to travel by car during their holiday trips. This is a 2% increase from last year.

People taking road trips make up the vast majority — 89% — of people expected to travel. This is because of the low cost and convenience of driving.

Another factor is gas prices, which are lower this year than during the last holiday season. At the end of 2024, the national average was $3.04 and this year the national average has dropped below $3 a gallon.

Christmas week is expected to be busier on the road than New Year’s week, according to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights.

Interstates should be extra congested the weekend before Christmas and Dec. 26 is also expected to be busy as people make their way home after the holiday.

The actual days of the holidays themselves — Christmas and New Year’s Day — are typically the lightest, traffic-wise, during the holiday period.

How many people will travel by air for the holidays?

The number of travelers projected to take domestic flights this year — 8.03 million — is also record-breaking. It is a 2.3% increase from last year.

According to AAA, this is the first time on record that the number of domestic travelers during the year-end holiday period will break 8 million.

AAA also calculated the average cost of flights during the holiday period, and this year, a domestic round-trip ticket costs 7% more than in 2024. The most expensive days are those leading up to Christmas Day, and flying on the holiday itself is cheaper. Many people are traveling home on New Year’s Day, making New Year’s flights pricey as well.

How many holiday travelers will use other modes of transportation?

The projected number of people who will use other modes of transportation — such as bus, train or cruise — also increased by 9% to 4.9 million.

This category has also seen a 25% increase since 2019, due in part to the record-setting demand for cruises after the COVID-19 pandemic, according to AAA.

What are the top holiday destinations?

Using booking data for the year-end travel period, AAA also calculated the top holiday travel destinations for 2025.

Domestic holiday travel destinations are dominated by warm and sunny places like, Florida, Southern California and Hawaii. Four of the 10 top domestic destinations — Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami and Tampa — are in Florida.

The top 10 domestic holiday destinations:

1. Orlando, Florida
2. Fort Lauderdale, Florida
3. Miami, Florida
4. Anaheim/Los Angeles, California
5. Honolulu, Hawaii
6. Tampa, Florida
7. New York City
8. Maui, Hawaii
9. Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
10. Las Vegas, Nevada

International travel destinations are dominated by Caribbean islands and Mexican resort towns. Three out of the 10 top international destinations — Cancun, Cozumel and Puerto Vallarta — are in Mexico.

The top 10 international holiday destinations:

1. Cancun, Mexico
2. Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
3. Cozumel, Mexico
4. San Jose, Costa Rica
5. Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
6. San Juan, Puerto Rico
7. Nassau, Bahamas
8. Rome, Italy
9. Oranjestad, Aruba
10. Sydney, Australia

AAA’s projections were done in cooperation with S & P Global Market Intelligence using economic variables to determine forecast travel volume.