As the year draws to a close and the holiday season charges in, AAA projecting a swarm of nearly 120 million travelers navigating the frosted American roads and bustling airspace during the year-end festivities, the season promises to test the limits of our travel infrastructure.
Astonishingly, Floridians are expected to emerge in significant numbers, contributing over 7.1 million travelers to this seasonal exodus – this observation marking a rise from last year and even edging past the pre-pandemic figures from 2019, as TCPalm outlined the AAA findings; meanwhile, those braving the skies will be joining a current supercharged by an incremental 300,000 passengers from the previous year.
Notably, the roads will see the bulk of travel activity, with a staggering 107 million individuals planning to drive to their destinations, a slight dip from 2019's numbers yet still a leap from last year, as discerned from AAA data by wsvn.com. Simultaneously, airfare costs hover around the 4% higher mark compared to yesteryear, ticket prices are reaching new heights, averaging $800 or more for domestic travelers.
Those onboard the less trodden paths - trains, cruises, buses, and various modes of transport not bound to the land or sea - are surging too, with a near 15% upswing from 2019, demonstrating resilience and perhaps a burgeoning nostalgia for the modes of movement that predate our contemporary predilections for speed and convenience, such concrete information courtesy of TCPalm.
The populace has spoken with their itinerary choices, and Florida reigns supreme as the hotspot for holidaymakers with South Florida being a particularly bright beacon for travel, an insight not lost on wsvn.com. AAA reports place Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, and Miami as the trio topping the domestic destinations list for the 2024 holiday season.
In the realm of petrol, Florida remains on the pricier end with the current average hovering around $3.11 per gallon, though this is but a slight elevation from the recent statewide averages as documented by AAA and detailed through TCPalm. Timing is of the essence for those hitting the road - Christmas Day and New Year's Day are tipped as the best for travel, while the weekends preceding them predictably expect to burgeon under the weight of holiday traffic.
For those plotting the great winter migration, INRIX, the transportation analytics firm, offers a glimpse into the upcoming gridlock, forecasting up to double travel times in metro areas during peak periods, with specific advice to dodge peak commuting hours or, if chance allows, to embark at dawn or post-evening rush, per a release quoted by TCPalm.
