Holiday Travel Hitting High Saturday In Bucks County

BUCKS COUNTY, PA —It's expected to be the busiest travel day of the holiday season. And that's Saturday.

"As we see people traveling to their holiday destination, trying to get there before Christmas Eve, but they're also going to mix with those holiday shoppers, whether it's the malls or the grocery stores on Saturday," Jana Tidwell, of AAA, told Action News 6.

While everyone may be headed to grandma's house for the holidays, residents in Bucks County and the region will be out doing errands and getting last-minute items to put under the Christmas tree Monday.

AAA projects 115.2 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the 10-day year-end holiday travel period.

This year’s total number of domestic travelers is a 2.2 percent increase over last year and the second highest year-end travel forecast since 2000 when AAA began tracking holiday travel.

The transportation agency said that 2019 remains the busiest Christmas and New Year’s travel period on record with 119 million travelers.

“This year-end holiday forecast, with an additional 2.5 million travelers compared to last year, mirrors what AAA Travel has been observing throughout 2023,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel. “More Americans are investing in travel, despite the cost, to make memories with loved ones and experience new places.”

AAA is projecting that more than 1.3 million Philadelphia-area residents will travel over the year-end holidays.

Meanwhile, more than 5 million travelers are taking the Pennsylvania Turnpike home for the holidays. That’s about 2 percent more than last year with the busiest day being Friday with about 610,000 vehicles expected, the agency said.

TMA Bucks, Bucks County's transportation agency, is advising motorists not to multi-task while behind the wheel.

"It puts lives at risk and breaks state law," the agency warned. "So put down the phone, minimize distractions, and stay focused on the road."

There is good news for drivers with prices at the pump declining.

Gas prices have dropped to levels not seen in more than two years, thanks to the switchover to winter-blended gasoline and the price of crude oil.

AAA projects more than 92,000 Philadelphia-area residents (more than 7 percent of local travelers) will travel to their year-end holiday destination by air, an increase of nearly 4 percent over last year and the highest air travel volume on record for the year-end holidays.

According to the TSA, the busiest days at airports across the country are expected to be Friday, Dec. 29, and Monday, Jan. On those days, the TSA predicts it will screen more than 2.5 million passengers.

At Philadelphia International Airport, representatives predict the busiest travel days will be on Tuesday, and Wednesday, Action News 6 reported.