INDEPENDENCE, Ohio – The American Automobile Association projects that 122.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the 13-day year-end holiday period beginning Dec. 20 and ending Jan. 1.
This year’s forecast is a 2.2% increase over 2024, surpassing last year’s record of 119.7 million travelers.
“As we continue to set new travel records, it’s clear that most Americans love to travel and make it a priority, especially when making year-end travel plans,” said Jim Garrity, director of public affairs at AAA East Central. “AAA’s projections show that travelers will spend the holidays in a variety of ways, including family road trips, cruises, tropical vacations and more.”
AAA projects that 109.5 million Americans will travel by car for their year-end trips, an increase of 2% compared with last year. Driving is the overwhelming favorite among all modes of transportation because of its convenience and low cost. This year, 89% of holiday travelers will take road trips. Gas prices are lower compared with last holiday season when the national average was $3.04 to end 2024. For the first time in four years, the national average dropped below $3 per gallon this month.
AAA projects that a record 8.03 million travelers will take domestic flights this holiday season, a 2.3% increase compared with last year. This will be the first time on record that the number of domestic air travelers over the year-end holiday period exceeds 8 million.
Travel by other modes is expected to go up by 9%, with 4.9 million people traveling by bus, train or cruise. This category has seen a 25% increase since 2019, mainly due to the record-setting demand for cruises post-pandemic.