AAA is projecting that 48.7 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, an increase of one million travelers compared with last year.
AAA says this year’s expected surge in holiday travel is being spurred by improvements to the economy during the second half of this year, including rising wages, increased consumer spending and overall strength in consumer confidence.
The vast majority—more than 89%—of holiday travelers are expected to drive this Thanksgiving, despite incremental increases in national gas prices, AAA says.
“Most will travel on the tried and true holiday road trip, thanks to gas prices that are holding at close to $2 per gallon,” says AAA President and CEO Marshall Doney in a press release. “Others will fly, take the bus or set off on a cruise to celebrate with their loved ones.”
The average price of a gallon of unleaded regular gas is going for $1.97 as of this morning, according to the AAA Daily Fuel Gauge, down 8 cents from a month ago and up 3 cents from a year ago.
Approximately 43.5 million Americans are planning a Thanksgiving road trip, a 1.9% increase over last year, AAA says. Air travel is expected to increase 1.6%, with 3.69 million Americans flying to their destinations. An estimated 1.4 million travelers will use other modes of transportation like cruises, trains and buses.
This year’s top six Thanksgiving travel destinations are Las Vegas, San Francisco, San Diego, Orlando, New York and New Orleans. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 23, to Sunday, Nov. 27.
