ORLANDO, Fla. – With the Fourth of July landing on a Thursday, it appears millions of Floridians have their eye on a long holiday weekend.
AAA is predicting Independence Day travel to reach new records both nationwide and in Florida as more than 70.9 million people around the U.S. are expected to travel 50 miles or more away from home. Nearly 4.5 million of those will be Floridians.
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“The summer travel season is off to a hot start and we expect to set new travel records on the road and in the sky during the week of Independence Day,” Debbie Haas, vice president of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group, said in a statement. “There will be 3.5 million more travelers than last year. That means even more people at airports and popular attractions like beaches, lakes, and theme parks.”
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This year, the auto club’s travel forecast measures domestic trips of 50 miles or more during a 9-day period from Saturday, June 29, to Sunday, July 7.
AAA projects a record 60.6 million people will travel by car over Independence Day week — that’s an additional 2.8 million travelers compared to last year. This year’s number also surpasses 2019 when 55.3 million people traveled by car over the holiday.
The top best and worst travel times below are based on AAA data.
| Date | Worst Travel Time | Best Travel Time |
|---|---|---|
| Monday, July 1 | Minimal traffic impact expected | |
| Tuesday, July 2 | 2 - 6 p.m. | After 7 p.m. |
| Wednesday, July 3 | 2 - 7 p.m. | Before noon |
| Thursday, July 4 | 2 - 7 p.m. | Before noon |
| Friday, July 5 | 11 a.m. - 4 p.m. | Before 10 a.m. |
| Saturday, July 6 | 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. | Before 10 a.m. |
| Sunday, July 7 | 2 - 8 p.m. | Before 11 a.m. |
| Monday, July 8 | 1 - 5 p.m. | After 7 p.m. |
As for air travel, the number of domestic air travelers is also expected to set a record. Nationally, AAA projects 5.74 million people will fly to their Independence Day destinations. That’s an increase of nearly 7% compared to last year and a 12% increase over 2019.
This year, millions of Americans are choosing to celebrate freedom in the Pacific Northwest: Seattle, Vancouver, and Anchorage are top destinations because of the popularity of Alaska cruises this time of year. Three Florida cities also made the list.
The top 10 domestic and international destinations below are based on AAA booking data.
| Domestic | International |
|---|---|
| Seattle | Vancouver |
| Orlando | London |
| Anchorage | Rome |
| Honolulu | Dublin |
| Miami | Paris |
| New York | Calgary |
| Fort Lauderdale | Amsterdam |
| Las Vegas | Punta Cana |
| Denver | Athens |
| Anaheim/Los Angeles | Barcelona |
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