Fourth of July weekend expected to break records

The next big holiday travel season is upon us. The Fourth of July is yet another day where millions are expected to take to the skies and roads for vacation time. This is also another travel season in which experts are predicting records to be shattered as the industry continues to surge after the COVID-19 global pandemic.

“It has been busier than we’ve seen probably in the last six, seven years,” said Robin Mitchell, AAA travel agent. “A lot of travel to Italy, Greece, a lot of European travel, a lot of cruises. Very popular this year.”

AAA is expecting nearly 5.7 million more people traveling this year compared to 2019. The projection also includes 71 million people either flying or traveling during the first weekend of July. Nationwide, road trip travel is up by 9.5 percent compared to 2019, while air travel is up 12 percent within that same time. That comes as both Spring Break and Memorial Day were looked at as record-breaking moments this year. In totality, there’s an expectation that the 2024 summer travel season will be the biggest of all time.

An action-packed travel season means packed airports and exploding prices across the board. Overall, the best way to avoid the costs that come with traveling during this time of the year is to book during the off season, but that’s not always possible. If that isn’t an option, look at doing such things as traveling to areas that are less popular. For example, you may want to visit Las Vegas during this season, but what about going to a city like Chicago or Phoenix instead? You could even visit an area in Mexico for much less than attempting to travel west.

This also means more issues like cancellations and flight bumping. In-the-know travelers can use these moments to their advantage to get travel benefits, vouchers, and even paid for their trouble. Knowing your rights during those moments and not being afraid to negotiate are two big steps to making sure you get the most out of the inconvenience.

Summer travel season is truly here and more Americans are looking to take advantage of it. Fourth of July will be another record-breaking moment this summer and looks to be one of many in 2024.