AAA predicts over 115 million people will be traveling for the holidays this year, an increase of 2.2 percent since last year. The year-end holiday travel period is between Saturday and Jan. 1.
According to a AAA press release, 2023 is projected to be the second highest holiday travel year since 2000, when AAA began tracking numbers.
Nearly 104 million people are expected to drive, which would be a 1.8 percent increase over last year and the second highest number recorded. In 2019, a record 108 million people drove.
Read more: AAA predicts nearly 1.3 million more people than last year will be traveling for Thanksgiving
The most road traffic is expected on Saturday and Dec. 28. AAA recommends people travel before lunchtime or after 7 p.m. to avoid heavy traffic. Driving times could be 20 percent longer, and nearly double in places like Washington D.C. and Minneapolis.
The price for a gallon of gas is almost the same as last year, when people paid $3.10 per gallon on Christmas day.
Over 7.5 million people are expected to fly, the highest on record. Average ticket prices have decreased slightly since last year, with a roundtrip ticket to Orlando costing $613. Last year, a roundtrip ticket cost $735.
Orlando, Chicago and New York are among the top domestic travel destinations; London, Aruba and Dublin are some of the top international travel destinations.