ORLANDO, Fla.—Nearly 48.9 million Americans plan to get away this Independence Day holiday—the most since AAA began tracking these numbers in 2000. Overall travel volume for the holiday is expected to rise 4.1 percent over last year, with an additional 1.9 million people planning road trips and other vacations.
In addition to lower gas prices compared with last summer, broader economic fundamentals remain strong, according to AAA—low unemployment, robust consumer spending, and rising disposable incomes are all encouraging more consumers to invest in travel this summer.
“As Independence Day approaches, it’s time for the much-loved family road trip and this year will be one for the record books, with more Americans than ever planning vacations,” said Paula Twidale, vice president, AAA Travel. “This holiday builds on the strong travel demand seen for Memorial Day, and with schools now out of session across the country, families coast to coast are eager to travel.”
With today’s national average of $2.66, gas prices are 19 cents less year-over-year and expected to drop even lower into the summer. This is motivating record numbers of travelers to take road trips for the holiday weekend.
“Gas prices are, on average, 17 cents cheaper than Memorial Day weekend, which is welcome news for motorists hitting the road to celebrate the July 4th holiday,” said AAA gas price expert Jeanette Casselano. “More so, summer gas prices are poised to continue dropping even lower in the coming weeks.”
Midrange accommodations are expected to cost travelers between $153 for AAA Two Diamond and $189 for AAA Three Diamond Rated hotels.
Top 10 Independence Day Travel Destinations
Fun-in-the-sun locales like Orlando and Honolulu lead the top 10 the list of popular destinations for American travelers this Independence Day, based on advance AAA Travel bookings.
- Orlando, Florida
- Honolulu
- Seattle
- Las Vegas
- Anaheim, California
- New York
- Boston
- Maui, Hawaii
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Chicago
