Americans are feeling good about the future as they take time to reflect on the anniversary of the nation’s birth, and a record number will hit the road to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday.
AAA predicts that 46.9 million Americans are driving somewhere over the next few days.
“This Independence Day will be one for the record books, as more Americans take to the nation’s roads, skies, rails and waterways than ever before,” Bill Sutherland, senior vice president of AAA Travel and Publishing, said in a press release posted on the company’s website.
“Confident consumers with additional disposable income will look to spend on travel this holiday, building on an already busy summer travel season,” Sutherland said.
“In addition to strong economic variables, the expected increase in travelers this year is helped by Independence Day falling on a Wednesday, giving travelers more flexibility to schedule a trip the weekend before or after the holiday,” the press release said, noting that the official Independence Day holiday period is from Tuesday, July 3, to Sunday, July 8.
Most of those record-breaking 46.9 million Americans will travel on Tuesday 50 miles or more away from home — 39.7 million by car; 3.8 million by plane; and 3.5 million on trains, buses, and cruise ships, according to AAA.
The top destinations in the United States are, from one to five: Orlando, Florida; Anaheim, California; Seattle, Washington; Anchorage, Alaska; and Honolulu, Hawaii.
The top international destinations are, from one to five: Rome, Italy; London, England; Dublin, Ireland, Vancouver, Canada; and Paris, France.
The only negative news from AAA is that American drivers will pay a bit more per gallon for gas if they are driving. The average gallon of gas across the U.S. is $2.75 a gallon, up from $2.18 in 2017, according to AAA.
And AAA said it estimates it will rescue more than 362,000 motorists on the Independence Day holiday – with dead batteries, lockouts, and flat tires being the leading causes.
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