Buffalo, N.Y. (WBEN) - AAA predicts over 70.9 million people will head 50 miles-or-more from home during the Independence Day holiday travel period, potential record-breaking numbers that align with the already record-breaking amount of people the TSA has been seeing at the airport.
"Some people are already gone, a lot of people were taking extended trips, leaving last weekend and then returning the weekend after the fourth of July," said Elizabeth Carey of Western and Central New York AAA. "However, with more than 60 million people taking road trips, a lot of people are heading out today, and on the Fourth of July and then returning say Sunday and Monday."
For the first time, AAA looked at the entire July 4th week, as well as the Saturday before and the Sunday after the holiday. This year’s projected number of travelers for that time period is a 5% increase compared to 2023 and an 8% increase over 2019.
"AAA looks at the travel period as a long holiday weekend. However, this year, with so many people booking big trips, they extended the period and looked at it over Saturday all the way through Sunday after Fourth of July, knowing that also Monday is going to be very busy too," Carey said in an interview with WBEN.
When will be the busiest times to travel?
"We do expect the busiest time on the roads to be 2 p.m.-to-7 p.m. on a Wednesday and on the Fourth of July and then that afternoon time period on Sunday and Monday for the return travelers," Carey said. "And as far as air travelers, a lot of people have already headed out and they'll I'll be looking to come back on Sunday and Monday as well. So the airport should be very busy those days too."
As Carey mentions, people are taking a lot of different, big trips this summer, everything from local road trips, international vacations and cruises.
"Definitely, people are taking a lot of big trips. So we're seeing people taking cruises to Alaska, that's number one on the list. Also people taking international trips this week going to places like Rome, Dublin, Paris, but then again, that good old fashioned road trip," she said. "People are traveling within New York State but then also going out to beaches, Myrtle Beach is extremely popular, Outer Banks and some people even starting to head out west to those national parks, which will be popular all summer long."
So what advice does Carey have for those electing to take a road trip?
"Check the car over in advance. If you still have time to get a check by a certified mechanic. That's good," Carey said. "AAA expects to respond to thousands of calls this weekend. And a lot of it's for common things that could be prevented like keys locked in the car, dead batteries and flat tires. So make sure the car is in good working order in advance. And we're reminding everyone to put that direction in the GPS before you get into the vehicle before you start driving. So you can be distraction free and really keep your eyes on the road."
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