On Monday, AAA released projections showing it expects 6.6 million Floridians to travel 50 or more miles this holiday season, a record high and up from 6.4 million last year.
Most of those residents of the Sunshine State–6 million–will travel by car while almost 357,000 will travel by plans and 266,300 of them will travel by other methods.
“AAA has seen steady year-over-year growth in travel demand, culminating with what is expected to be the busiest year-end holiday travel season on record in Florida, and the second-busiest nationwide,” said Debbie Haas, the vice president of travel for AAA and the Auto Club Group. “Despite various inflationary pressures, Americans are still willing to budget for travel. With a record number of travelers, the roads, airports and cruise lines will be more crowded than normal. So finalize your travel plans now, anticipate longer lines, and give yourself extra time to get to your destination.
Across the nation, 115.2 million Americans are expected to travel this holiday season, up 2.5 million from last year and the second highest number ever. Of that group, 103.6 million are expected to travel by car while a record high 7.5 million will fly and 4 million will travel by other methods.
INRIX, which studies transportation data, warned there will be heavy traffic during the holiday period, noting that Saturday, December 23, and Thursday, December 28 will see the most congestion.
“Nationwide, drivers could see travel times up to 20 percent longer this holiday season. In major metros, especially in Denver, Minneapolis, and Washington, DC, drivers could experience nearly double the typical delays,” said Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX. “Avoid peak commuting hours and use traffic apps, local DOT notifications, and 511 services to minimize holiday travel traffic frustrations.”
Orlando is the top domestic travel destination this holiday season followed by Anaheim; Chicago; Charlotte; Miami; Atlanta; Las Vegas; New York; Phoenix and Houston.
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