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AAA Releases 2017 Holiday Travel Forecast

Planning to travel via plane, train or automobile for the holiday? Be ready for crowds! AAA predicts a record-breaking 107.3 million Americans will travel from Saturday, Dec. 23, 2017, through Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. This will be the highest year-end travel volume on record and a 3.1 percent increase over the previous year.

“More expensive gas prices are not swaying holiday revelers to stay home,” said Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president, travel and publishing. “In fact, across the board this year, travel has increased year-over-year for every major holiday weekend—Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving—and we project the same for the year-end holiday period. We’ve seen ... growing consumer confidence fuel holiday travel all year long.”

For the 97.4 million Americans driving somewhere for the holiday, INRIX, a transportation analytics company, predicts travel times during the holiday week could be as much as three times longer than the normal trip.

What are the hot year-end holiday travel destinations? AAA’s top 10 holiday hot spots include Orlando, Anaheim, Cancun, Honolulu, Maui, Montego Bay, Punta Cana, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and New York.

More holiday travel statistics and details are available via AAA’s news release.