Year-End Holiday Travel Expected to Be Most on Record

‘Tis the season to travel to visit family and do some last-minute shopping.

Travelers should keep in mind they will probably face a lot of congestion in the air, highways and even in their local grocery store parking lot.

More than 103 million people, about 32 percent of the U.S. population, will be traveling for the year-end holidays, AAA Northeast says. The number of people traveling is the most on record; about 1.5 million more people will reportedly be traveling this year compared to last.

In addition to travelers, last-minute holiday shoppers will be hitting the roads by the masses, according to community-based traffic and navigation app Waze.

Waze says most Americans will go on their last-minute shopping trips on Christmas Eve.

Waze predicted the busiest (worst) times to travel on Christmas Eve, whether you’re going shopping, heading to the airport, or a local restaurant:

• Shopping— 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Grocery shopping— 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Restaurant— 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Airport— 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Getting There

• About 91 percent of Americans will be traveling by car, which is up 1.5 percent from last year, AAA says.
• About 2.3 percent will travel by air despite a 17 percent price increase compared to last year.
• The remaining number of travelers, 3.5 million of them, will be traveling by cruises, trains, buses and other modes of transport.

“The one-horse open sleigh has been abandoned for the private motor vehicle for the vast majority of those heading out for the festive season,” Robert Sinclair, Jr., manager of media relations for AAA Northeast, said in a press release.

AAA says the number of holiday travelers has increased this year due to an improved labor market, rising wages and increased consumer spending.

Despite all the driving, nationwide gas prices are more expensive this year by about .21 cents per gallon. But AAA says the prices are still relatively cheap enough to motivate drivers to hit the roads.

With lots of drivers comes possible vehicle troubles for some. AAA expects to rescue more than 980,000 motorists over the 11-day holiday travel period, from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2, due to flat tires, dead batteries and lockouts.

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