July 4th Travel Is Set to Break Records—Here's How to Navigate It
This weekend, Americans will see a familiar sight: roads, planes, and trains across the country brimming with people for 4th of July travel.
“We saw strong demand for travel around Memorial Day and the kick-off of summer, and all indications now point to a busy Independence Day to follow,” Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel said in a statement.
The 4th of July travel period (from July 1 to July 5) is not only estimated to be the busiest since the pandemic began, but it’s also predicted to be the second busiest July 4th for travel on record, according to AAA, with a total of more than 47 million Americans slated to take trips. That’s just 2.5 percent fewer travelers than in 2019.
In fact, the number of people traveling by car is expected to surge past 2019 levels. Both AAA and travel data firm Arrivalist predict that about 43 million Americans will take road trips over the long weekend. That figure exceeds pre-COVID levels by 5 percent, AAA says.
“We continue to see travel demand hold at a steady pace over the last few weeks,” Cree Lawson, founder and CEO of Arrivalist, said in a statement. “With travel demand at an all-time high and the President’s promise to mark this holiday as an independence from the COVID-19 virus, we expect that Americans will continue to shatter records for the upcoming July 4th holiday.”
Most major cities will see increases in traffic, but the worst road delays will come on Monday evening in Boston and San Francisco, where roads are expected to be more than 300 percent more congested than normal. In general, AAA says the best times to be on the road—and avoid traffic—will be Thursday night after 7 p.m., Friday before noon, and Monday before 1 p.m.
Additionally, the rental car shortage that has beset road trippers shows no signs of slowing down over the 4th. In fact, searches for rental cars are up by 70 percent compared to the same dates in 2019, according to Kayak. An additional 620,000 Americans are expected to travel on other modes of transport, including buses, trains, and cruise ships, according to AAA's forecast.
Travelers heading to the airport should also expect congestion. This year, there are nearly 19 million seats scheduled on U.S. airlines for the week leading into the long weekend. That number is approaching pre-pandemic levels, but it's still about 19 percent lower than in 2019, according to aviation data firm OAG.
AAA predicts that 3.5 million people will fly over the holiday weekend—about 90 percent of 2019’s total. That's significant, as it was over Independence Day Weekend 2019 that the TSA saw its busiest day ever. Air passengers will want to arrive at the airport early to leave plenty of time for security. In addition to crowds, the TSA has been dealing with a shortage of officers at its checkpoints, which has contributed to longer wait times in some airports.
The TSA advises arriving at least two hours before departure for domestic flights, and three hours early for international routes. But some airports around the country, such as in Austin, Texas, are advising fliers to arrive closer to three hours before their departure times, no matter the destination, because of the crush of passengers. Major hubs like San Francisco International Airport and New York's JFK are encouraging passengers with cars to pre-book parking spots since garages will fill up. The Seattle-Tacoma Airport is even promoting an app called Spot Saver, which allows passengers to reserve a timed appointment in the security line for faster processing. To speed things along at checkpoints, TSA also recommends fliers have their required face masks already on and consider checking bags instead of carrying them on board.
Originally Appeared on Condé Nast Traveler
