JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – It will be a busy weekend for travel as many people hit the road or fly for the Christmas holiday. AAA predicts 92.5 million Americans will take a trip of at least 50 miles or more during the holiday period.
Nearly 30% of Americans will take a trip this holiday season. The travel season is defined as Saturday December 21st through January 1st. 27% of those people will take a road trip.
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Saturday is expected to be the busiest day for travel. Certified travel counselor Susan Carr said overall, the statistics show more people than ever will take a trip.
"This is actually the fifth year of increase for travel during the holiday season, so it's been on a steady incline," said Carr.
AAA reports 91% of people will drive to their destination, that number is up 9% from last year. About 5 million people will fly this holiday season.
Carr believes the day the holiday falls on this year contributes to the uptick in travelers.
"We've got 12 days for the holiday and it actually has two weekends involved. The two previous years were only 11 days long. [And that] contributes a little bit to the amount of travel that's taking place," said Carr.
People will spend more money on their trips this year. AAA found the average price of a trip will cost $765. That is up from the average price of $759 last year.
If you are one of the millions of people driving, the good news is AAA expects you will pay less for gas than last year. Gas prices hit a multi-year low of $3.18/gallon November 18th. Currently the average in Jacksonville is hovering around $3.31/gallon.