AAA predicts that 50.7 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from home this Independence Day.
On Friday, US airports were expected to conduct nearly 3 million tests per day.
Jack Traina and friends arrived at the San Luis Obispo airport on Friday on their way to Washington state for Independence Day week.
“We just wanted to avoid the crowds. We wanted to camp properly in advance,” Traina said.
They spent a week mountain biking and strategically planned the final few days of their trip.
“We’re staying a few days past the Fourth of July so we can avoid the crowds at the airport, save on travel costs and extend our trip to spend a little more time with friends and family,” Traina continued.
AAA predicts that 4.17 million Americans will fly to destinations over the Independence Day holiday, an 11.2% increase over 2022.
One local resident said he plans to be in town for the holiday but plans to fly out later that evening on July 4th rather than later.
“I was thinking about going after that, but then I saw the price on the 4th and thought this was a better option,” said Francisco Ramirez, a Paso Robles resident.
Immediately after celebrating with friends in his hometown, Ramirez plans to board a direct flight to central Mexico to visit family.
He says he thinks the trip will go smoothly.
“The tickets were appropriate because a lot of people don’t travel for the holidays,” Ramirez said.
AAA predicts that 43.2 million people will travel by car to their destinations during the week of July 4th, which would be more than 2% higher than in 2022.
Ryan Nelson and his family will also be joining the trip.
“There will be fireworks, a tribute to America, music, great American food and it’s going to be a great time,” Nelson said.
He says if the whole family is together, traffic jams are not a concern.
“For us, we’ll just drive over, it’s not that far, bring some lawn chairs and get ready for the fireworks show at the end of the night,” Nelson said.
With millions of people travelling, roads will be busy and airports and train stations will be busy, so plan accordingly.
The TSA advises travelers to leave early, be patient and remember to check the weather.