Worst day for Christmas travel in 2022, according to AAA

(WFLA) — ‘It’s holiday season, but with it comes holiday traffic.

According to the American Automobile Association, 2022 is expected to be the third-busiest year for holiday travel since the AAA began tracking it in 2000.

The association estimates that between December 23rd and January 2nd, 112.7 million people will trek more than 50 miles from home.

“This year, Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Sundays, which means more travel time,” said Paula Twydale, AAA senior vice president of travel. “Hybrid work schedules allow people to work remotely at their destination and have more flexibility with departure and return dates, so more people are taking longer weekends to travel.”

AAA expects 102 million Americans to drive to their vacation destinations. Gas prices set to drop below $3 a gallon by Christmas.

“There will be 2 million more drivers this holiday season than in 2021,” AAA said. “While his car trips this year are similar to those in 2018, in 2019 he said 108 million Americans drove out of town during the holiday season, a record year. is.”

Similarly, about 7.2 million Americans will fly, increasing air travel by 14% from last year. Expect busy flights and airports reminiscent of the pre-pandemic days this holiday season.

The AAA expects the number of people taking holiday flights this year to match 2019, when 7.3 million Americans traveled by air.

“When mileage is not reasonable, more people will fly to maximize the time they spend at their destination,” added Twidale. “Conversely, if the distance traveled is reasonable and more than one or two family members are on the trip, rather than buying multiple airline tickets, renting a car, and spending a lot of money upfront, Driving can be more cost-effective, and the fun begins.

Other modes of transportation such as buses, trains and cruise ships have also recovered significantly. AAA estimates that these travel vehicles will reach his 3.6 million this holiday season.

The best and worst times to travel by car

date	worst travel time	optimal travel time
12/23/22	4:00pm – 7:00pm	Before 2:00pm and after 8:00pm
12/24/22	12:00 to 18:00	Before 11:00 am and after 7:00 pm
12/25/22	Minimal traffic expected
12/26/22	2:00pm – 6:00pm	Before 12:00 and after 19:00
12/27/22	3:00pm – 7:00pm	Before 2:00pm and after 8:00pm
12/28/22	3:00pm – 7:00pm	Before 2:00pm and after 8:00pm
12/29/22	3:00pm – 7:00pm	Before 2:00pm and after 8:00pm
12/30/22	3:00pm – 7:00pm	Before 2:00pm and after 8:00pm
12/31/22	Minimal traffic expected
23/1/1	Minimal traffic expected
23/1/2	4:00pm – 7:00pm	Before 3pm and after 8pm

“With pre-pandemic levels of travelers on the roads this holiday, drivers should be prepared for delays in and around major metropolitan areas, and Tuesday, December 27th was one of the worst travel days in the country. expected to be,” said INRIX. “Our advice is to avoid traveling during peak commute hours. If your schedule allows, leave bright and early or after your afternoon commute.”

AAA forecasts that the travel period for New Year’s Eve will be 11 days from Friday, December 23rd to Monday, January 2nd. This period is the same length as the 2021/2022 year-end travel period.