AAA: July 4 Travel to ‘Nearly Recover’ this Year

As Americans continue to get vaccinated, summer travel, and the big summer travel holidays, are starting to look and feel closer and closer to normal.

According to new projections from the American Automobile Association (AAA), 47.7 million Americans will travel this July 4 holiday, just below the pre-pandemic high of 48.9 million that was recorded in 2019.

The number is a far cry from the 34.2 million that traveled during 2020 and shows an almost 100% recovery to pre-pandemic levels, though habits of American travelers are changing.

AAA expects this July 4’s travel to be dominated by road trips—43.6 million, 91% of all travelers and 5% more than 2019, will drive to their destination. That comes even as the U.S. is experiencing high gasoline prices.

“Pent-up desire is motivating the vast majority of holiday travelers to hit the road,” said Robert Sinclair, Jr., senior manager of public affairs for AAA Northeast.

“The immediacy and convenience of driving far outweigh the obstacle of high gas prices for travel-starved Americans,” Sinclair added.

AAA expects 3.5 million Americans to travel by airplane, which is 90% of pre-pandemic levels and an increase of 164% over last year.

According to AAA, travelers going by plane this July 4 will enjoy a 2% decline in airfares over last year, while those staying in hotels are experiencing higher rates, with average rates at AAA Two and Three Diamond rated hotels of $156 and $398, respectively.

The top destinations, according to AAA, will be Orlando, FL; Anaheim, CA; Denver, CO; Las Vegas, NV; Seattle, WA; Chicago, IL; New York, NY; Atlanta, GA; Boston, MA; and Kahului, Maui, HI.

Here are the Top 10 Road Trips, according to Google Searches from 2020.