Over 122 million people, including 2.9 million Hoosiers, will be traveling for the holidays this year, AAA projects. The travel period spans from Saturday to Jan. 1.
Christina Griffiths, manager of public affairs and communications for AAA Hoosier, said 3.3 percent more Hoosiers are traveling this year compared to last year. The majority of Hoosiers traveling, over 2.6 million, will be driving. That’s a 3.1 percent increase from last year.
Griffiths said that’s due in part to lower gas prices. In Indiana, the average price per gallon is about $2.82. At this time last year, it was about $3.08 per gallon.
“Driving is always really popular, especially here in the Midwest, because it is just more convenient,” she said. “You've got a lot of cities that are kind of closer together. If they're not driving across the country, they can get there pretty easily. You can pack all those Christmas gifts in your car easier.”
About 159,000 Hoosiers will be traveling via plane, a 2.8 percent increase from last year. Nationally, a record 8.03 million people will be taking domestic flights despite a round-trip domestic flight being seven percent more expensive this year. The average cost of a ticket is nearly $900.
Hoosiers traveling via other modes of transportation, such as by cruise, train or bus, saw the biggest increase over last year, 11.2 percent. Nationally, the category saw a nine percent increase from last year, with 4.9 million people traveling via other modes.
“It looks really cool and it looks really convenient,” Griffiths said. “You have so many options with cruises; there's so many new ships out there that have so many different perks and things like, I mean, water parks right on your ship, and there's the all-inclusive options and all of that. So, I think just kind of having that convenience of, like, you're on a floating hotel, and everything is right there, and then you add in that you can go see multiple cities. You're not having to, like, repack and move your stuff.”
The top domestic destinations include Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami. The top international destinations are Cancun, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and Cozumel, Mexico.
Griffiths expects roads to be busiest Saturday. She recommends people leave earlier in the day to avoid traffic. Minimal traffic is expected on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, and New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day.
AAA responded to over 6,600 roadside assistance calls across Indiana during last year’s holiday travel period. So far this December, Griffiths said her specific club, which serves about two-thirds of the state, has responded to 13,000 calls with the snowy and cold weather. They normally receive an average of about 9,000 calls in December.
“Check your tire pressure, check your tread,” she said. “If you're able to go test your battery, go do that now, because that's the majority of the calls that we get are batteries and tires. And those are things that are so easy to prevent if you can take the time to check it beforehand, so that you don't get stuck on the side of the road.”
