Almost 49 million Americans will travel over the Fourth of July weekend, according to the AAA. That will be a record. The organization predicts huge traffic jams as people leave major cities. As they travel, their top 10 destinations are spread across the country.
The exact AAA traveler figure is 48.9 million, up 4.1% from last year. The majority will travel by car, 41.1 million to be exact, according to the forecast. The period measured is from July 3 through July 7.
These are the top 10 Independence Day travel destinations, based on AAA Travel bookings:
- Orlando, Florida
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Seattle, Washington
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Anaheim, California
- New York, New York
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Maui, Hawaii
- Anchorage, Alaska
- Chicago, Illinois
AAA’s assumption is that many travelers are looking for warm and sunny weather. Orlando likely is most popular because it is home to the Disney World, Universal and Sea World theme parks.
Europe dominates the international travel list. AAA forecasts, “For those travelers planning an international vacation, Europe is the destination of choice. Rome, London, Dublin and Paris are the most popular spots for international vacations this Independence Day, with Vancouver, Canada — a top departure port for Alaskan cruises — rounding out the top five.”
Among the reasons for the rise in the number of travelers compared to last year is gasoline prices. They are at $2.66 a gallon on average, which is 19 cents lower than last year. Prices are expected to drop later in the summer. In good news for roadtrippers — gas prices were down in all 50 states.
A final look at the AAA’s most visited list shows that Americans will stay away from places with extremely high temperatures, which means they are avoiding America’s hottest cities.