3.5 Million Georgians to travel for the Holidays
From AAA Media
’Tis the season to travel, and AAA estimates over 3.5 million Georgians will journey 50 miles or more away from home, December 23rd to January 2nd. That’s an increase of nearly 112,000 people over last year and a new record-high for the year-end holiday travel period in Georgia.
AAA forecasts that 3.5 million total travelers will be on the move for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays. Over 90 percent or an estimated 3.2 million of those travelers will be taking automobiles, 184,200 will be traveling by air and 122,180 by other modes.
It’s a 3 percent increase of total travelers from 2021 to 2022, including a 14 percent rise by air and 24 percent by other modes.
“Despite inflationary pressures, consumers remained resilient and dedicated to travel this year. The holidays also benefit from the desire to reconnect with loved ones,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Travelers are spending more on travel than any other time in the past two years. The good news is the cost for a holiday road trip will be less expensive than anticipated, now that gas prices are on the way down.”
Gas price averages in Georgia on Dec. 21 is $2.743 per gallon of regular unleaded. The national average is $3.108.
If folks are wondering what are the worst and best times to travel by automobile during the holidays, AAA has that information for you below.
The worst times to travel by car prior to Christmas Day will be on Dec. 23 from 4 to 7 p.m. and on Christmas Eve from Noon to 6 p.m. The best times before Christmas Day are before 2 p.m. and after 8 p.m. on Dec. 23 and before 11 a.m. and after 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
After Christmas, the worst times to travel by car will be from 3 to 7 p.m., Dec. 27-Dec. 30. After New Year’s Day, the worst time will be 4-7 p.m. on Jan. 2.
