Independence Day falls on a Wednesday this year, but according to AAA the fact that the holiday falls in the middle of the week is not stopping Americans from adjusting their vacation plans accordingly. In fact, the barometer of travel says they expect families will be hitting the roads, rails and skies in record numbers. Will you be on the move next week?
If so you will be joining a record 41.1 million other American who will be traveling sometime between June 29th and July 8th. According to AAA, that’s 0.8% more than the 40.8 million who traveled last year. With the Fourth of July falling on a Wednesday this year it seems many travelers are opting to devote the entire week to vacation time. In fact, according to AAA, the largest share of Fourth of July travelers nationwide (38%) is planning to leave Friday, June 29th or before. It makes sense that the Fourth of July is the busiest travel period of the summer. After all, even year-round schools break for Independence Day. And if schools are not in session, many parents take the opportunity to go on vacation with their kids. According to a AAA survey of parents, 66% said they plan to use the Fourth of July holiday to vacation with their children.
So how will you be getting to your vacation destination? According to AAA, most travelers (a whopping 84%) will hit the road in a motor vehicle. While 4.7 million, or 11%, plan to travel by airplane. Another 1.7 million vacationers say they will travel by train this holiday.
If you do decide to drive to get to that water park, family reunion, or campground, you certainly won’t be saving money on gas this year. According to AAA, gas prices nationwide currently average $2.98 for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline – that’s down 23 cents from a month ago, but it’s 13 cents higher than a year ago. As long as we are talking about hits to your budget… you might as well know that hotel rates are up a bit and car rental rates are up 3% from last year. The one piece of good news, the price of airfare is 12% lower than Fourth of July 2006.
Where will you be spending your holiday?
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