AAA Predicts Millions to Trave for Christmas Holiday. Here’s Everything You Need to Know

What’s New

AAA predicts that 119.3 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday season between Saturday, December 21, and Wednesday, January 1, marking a record-breaking year.

Why It Matters

Domestic travel projections from 2024 show more travelers this year compared to the previous record set in 2019. There will also be an additional 3 million travelers this holiday season compared to last year.

“This is the time of year when lifelong memories are made with loved ones, and travel plays a big role in that,” said Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel. “This year, with Christmas Day falling on a Wednesday, we’re anticipating record-breaking travel numbers the weekend before and the weekend after the holiday.”

Winter Travel — Vehicles drive as snow falls north of Lake Tahoe in the Sierra Nevada mountains during a powerful winter storm in Truckee, California. There may be stormy winter conditions when people travel this holiday season

Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images

What To Know

Nearly 90 percent of holiday travelers will be driving to their destinations this year. Around 107 million people are expected to travel by car.

For the drivers, gas prices are lower this year than the past two previous holiday seasons. The current national average at the time of writing is $3.03 for a regular gallon of gas. The national average was around $3.12 in the last two weeks of 2023.

Air travelers will set a new record this holiday season, with 7.85 million passengers. That number passed the previous record of 7.5 million last year.

Travel by bus, train and cruise is also up this season, by nearly 10 percent compared to last year.

Domestically, the top 10 destinations are:

Orlando, Florida
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Miami, Florida
Anaheim/Los Angeles, California
Tampa, Florida
Las Vegas, Nevada
Honolulu, Hawaii
Charleston, South Carolina
New Orleans, Louisiana
New York, New York

Internationally, the top 10 destinations are:

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Mexicali, Mexico
Cancun, Mexico
Bahrain, Bahrain
Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
San Josa, Costa Rica
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Nassau, Bahamas
Oranjestad, Aruba
London, England

In addition to the exorbitant number of people traveling, the weather this holiday season may pose an issue to many.

AccuWeather has predicted that more towns and cities across the U.S. are likely to experience a white Christmas this year compared to 2023. For a Christmas to be considered “white,” there must be at least one inch of snow on the ground on Christmas morning.

When Is The Best Time To Travel For The Holidays?

“With a near record number of auto travelers expected this holiday season, drivers should expect delays in and around major metro areas, with Sunday, December 22 expected to be the nation’s worst day to travel,” says Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX.

The best travel times overall by day are:

Date	Best Travel Time
Thursday, December 19	Before 11 a.m.
Friday, December 20	Before 11 a.m.
Saturday, December 21	Before 2 p.m.
Sunday, December 22	Before noon
Monday, December 23	Before 11 a.m.
Tuesday, December 24	Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Wednesday, December 25	Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Thursday, December 26	Before 11 a.m.
Friday, December 27	Before 2 p.m.
Saturday, December 28	Before 11 a.m.
Sunday, December 29	Before 11 a.m.
Monday, December 30	Before 2 p.m.
Tuesday, December 31	Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Wednesday, January 1	Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Thursday, January 2	Before 3 p.m.

The worst travel times overall by day are:

Date	Worst Travel Time
Thursday, December 19	3-8 p.m.
Friday, December 20	1-8 p.m.
Saturday, December 21	4-8 p.m.
Sunday, December 22	3-8 p.m.
Monday, December 23	1-6 p.m.
Tuesday, December 24	Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Wednesday, December 25	Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Thursday, December 26	12-5 p.m.
Friday, December 27	3-7 p.m.
Saturday, December 28	1:30-7 p.m.
Sunday, December 29	12-6 p.m.
Monday, December 30	5-7 p.m.
Tuesday, December 31	Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Wednesday, January 1	Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
Thursday, January 2	4-8 p.m.

By specific metro area, it depends on the area for when peak congestion will take place. The majority of major metro areas will see their peak congestion on Sunday, December 22.

Metro	Route	Peak Congestion Period	Estimated Travel Time	Increase Compared to Typical Travel
Atlanta	Atlanta to Augusta via I-20 E	Sunday, December 22 at 1:45 p.m.	2 hours, 54 minutes	38 percent
Boston	Boston to Hyannis via Pilgrim Highway S	Friday, December 20 at 3:45 p.m.	2 hours, 24 minutes	100 percent
Chicago	Chicago to Milwaukee via I-94 W	Sunday, December 22 at 4:45 p.m.	2 hours, 2 minutes	69 percent
Denver	Fort Collins to Denver via I-25 S	Sunday, December 29 at 1 p.m.	1 hour, 31 minutes	67 percent
Detroit	Detroit to Cleveland via I-75 S	Monday, December 23 at 4:30 p.m.	3 hours, 23 minutes	36 percent
Houston	Lafayette to Houston via I-10 W	Friday, December 27 at 5:45 p.m.	4 hours, 54 minutes	53 percent
Los Angeles	Los Angeles to Palm Springs via I-10 E	Sunday, December 22 at 7:45 p.m.	2 hours, 53 minutes	81 percent
Minneapolis	Eau Claire to Minneapolis via I-94 W	Sunday, December 29 at 4:30 p.m.	1 hour, 54 minutes	46 percent
New York	New York to Hamptons via Long Island Expressway E	Sunday, December 22 at 4:30 p.m.	2 hours, 39 minutes	108 percent
Philadelphia	Philadelphia to Baltimore/DC via I-95 S	Sunday, December 22 at 4:45 p.m.	2 hours, 4 minutes	40 percent
Portland	Portland to Eugene via I-5 S	Sunday, December 22 at 3:45 p.m.	2 hours, 23 minutes	50 percent
San Diego	San Diego to Palm Springs via I-15 N	Friday, December 20 at 6:15 p.m.	3 hours, 7 minutes	35 percent
San Francisco	San Francisco to Napa via I-80 E	Saturday, December 21 at 7:30 p.m.	2 hours, 2 minutes	82 percent
Seattle	Seattle to Ellensburg via I-90 W	Friday, December 20 at 7 p.m.	3 hours, 18 minutes	106 percent
Tampa	Gainesville to Tampa via I-75 S	Saturday, December 28 at 10:30 a.m.	2 hours, 54 minutes	53 percent
Washington, DC	Washington DC to Annapolis via US-50 E	Thursday, December 19 at 4:30 p.m.	1 hour, 17 minutes	160 percent

Is Christmas A Busy Travel Day?

Transportation and data insight company INRIX predicts that drivers in Boston, New York City, Seattle and Washington, D.C., may see double the typical delays. Nationwide, travel time could be up to 30 percent longer.

On Christmas itself, INRIX predicts minimal traffic impact. The days before and after are worse.

Hertz predicts that Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Oahu, Orlando, Phoenix and Tampa will have the highest rental demand this holiday season, with the busiest car pick-up days on Friday, December 20, and Saturday, December 21.

Weather Could Impede Travel In 23 States

Winter weather warnings are in place for 23 states this weekend, with forecasters warning that travel conditions could range from difficult to impossible.

According to the National Weather Service (NWS), residents in states including Idaho, Pennsylvania and New York, among others, should exercise caution when traveling over the weekend amid icy conditions on the roads.

AAA noted that there will also be additional people on the road, so while it may be “tempting to speed,” driving at 80 miles per hour instead of 75 miles per hour only saves five minutes on a 100-mile commute, which the company called “hardly worth the risk.”

What People Are Saying

Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX, told AAA: “Our advice is to avoid traveling during peak commuting hours during the week. If schedules allow, leave bright and early or after the evening commute.”

Paul Pastelok, AccuWeather’s lead long-range meteorologist told AccuWeather: “The cold blast will feel like January and will deliver a significant shock to hundreds of millions of people who may have gotten used to warm conditions during much of the autumn”

AccuWeather meteorologist Tom Kines previously told Newsweek: “Regardless of whether that storm hugs the coast or gets its act together, it is going to pull some cold air across the Northeast, Great Lakes and Midwest.”