AAA Predicts Record Travel for 4th of July

The American Automobile Association (AAA) announced this week that they expect record numbers of travelers for the 2007 4th of July week. An estimated 41.1 million travelers will vacation in the United States for the Independence Day national holiday. AAA says that 34.7 million will take to the roads in cars or light trucks, 4.7 million will fly, and 1.7 million will travel by bus or train. This number may surpass the traditional busiest travel time of the year: Thanksgiving.

What has never happened before is the largest share of travelers, 37.9%, plan to leave on or before Friday, June 29th and vacation for the entire 4th of July week. Since the 4th of July holiday falls on a Wednesday, most holiday travelers are willing to take the extra vacation day or two to enjoy the entire week of holiday fun with family and friends. Since gas prices have dropped in the last couple weeks, more travelers were enticed to make it a summer vacation. On average, 4th of July road warriors can expect to pay $2.99 per gallon, which is down 23 cents from a month ago, but up 14 cents from this same time last year.
Those traveling by plane should enjoy the 12% lower cost of plane tickets over last year's 4th of July travel week. Hotels and auto rentals are up about 3% to 5% over last 4th of July week.

The Southeast will have the largest number of auto travelers while the West will top the list for airplane travelers over 4th of July week.. It is not surprising that 66.4% of 4th of July travelers plan on taking their children for all the firecracker fun. The Great Lakes area is predicted to have the highest percentage of families with kids (76.7%). The Northeast and the Southeast have the fewest percentage of travels planning to travel without children for the 4th of July. To make your 4th of July vacation the best ever, check out the following resources:

Excellent 4th of July Vacation Ideas from Associated Content

Check out how to celebrate the 4th of July on a budget.

Plan a 4th of July treasure hunt with the ideas from this article.

Check out how to host a big party for the 4th of July with a small amount of money.

Top 10 4th of July articles on Associated Content.

Other Travel Resources for Your Enjoyable 4th of July Vacation

You don't want to run out of gasoline or money during your 4th of July trip. Here is a handy fuel cost calculator for your trip.

This site has some printable activity sheets for games to do with children in the car.

This site has some printable activity sheets to use with children either in the car, plane, bus, or train.

This site has camping crafts and activities which is always a fun 4th of July family activity.

If you are a sensitive traveler and have trouble with things like getting good sleep, you may want to check this site out.

You might want to print this out and keep it handy in case any of the 4th of July travelers experience motion sickness.

This site gives some safety tips for using car seats and booster seats while traveling during the 4th of July week.

This site will help you pack for long car trips with children to help your family enjoy their 4th of July vacation.

This site will help you locate pet friendly lodging. This site will also help you research state leash laws, locate emergency animal care at your 4th of July vacation destination, and provide pet sitters in various locations.

This site provides some pet travel tips for cars, planes and other transportation.