This 4th of July travel forecast is expected to be record-breaking. AAA predicts millions of Texans will travel this week for the holiday because more people are taking bucket list vacations.
“In Texas, AAA expects 5.6 million people to travel,” said Daniel Armbruster with AAA Texas. “That’s a 5% increase over last year and with about 90% of those who are traveling doing so by car, roadways will be very busy.”
A positive for drivers, Armbruster says gas prices will continue lowering leading up to the 4th, and stay that way until after Labor Day. “Right now, prices in Texas, the statewide average is hovering around $3.00 a gallon for regular unleaded,” Armbruster said.
AAA Texas is preparing to respond to more than 41,000 calls this week, and recommends taking an emergency kit with you in case you break down. “The top roadside emergencies that AAA will see in Texas this Independence Day are dead batteries, flat tires, and engine problems,” said Armbruster.
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If you are flying, you can expect busy airports. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport suggests arriving at least 2.5 hours before your departure for domestic flights, and 3 hours for international ones.
“I recommend that people get power banks,” said travel advisor Lainey Melnick. “Make sure you have your own power. Don’t depend on an airline giving you an outlet, especially if you have all of your travel plans on your phone.”
According to Melnick, this year’s increase in travelers is in part because more people want to vacation after the COVID-19 pandemic. “Ever since people were stuck in their houses and they learned they could work from anywhere, they realized why not work from Tahiti, why not work from a cruise ship, so people are traveling more and more, and work places are being very cooperative about letting people work that way,” she said.
Some top travel destinations this independence day are Seattle, Vancouver, and Alaska. In Texas, vacationers are heading to Galveston, Corpus Christi, and state parks.
AAA is expecting nearly 71 million people across the nation to travel this week, exceeding pre-pandemic numbers.