This year will be another record-breaking season for holiday travelers

Yet again, U.S. travelers are expected to break records this holiday season, says AAA. According to the organization, from Saturday, Dec. 21st through Wednesday, Jan. 1st, 115.6 million people will leave their homes by plane, train or car to celebrate the holidays, surpassing last year’s record-breaking 112.5 million travelers.

More Americans than ever (104.8 million) will drive to their destinations — a 3.9% increase over 2018. Additionally, air travel will experience its highest volume of travelers since 2003, with nearly 7 million Americans taking to the skies.

Congested cities

AAA, in partnership with INRIX, a provider of location-based data and analytics, predicted the worst days for road travel in some of the nation’s largest cities for the 2019 holiday season.

“With kids out of school and many Americans taking extended time off for the holidays, drivers will experience only incremental delays throughout the week. Although congestion will be lighter than normal, knowing when and where major delays will likely happen will help save time and reduce stress this holiday season,” said Trevor Reed, a transportation analyst at INRIX, in a news release.

At airports, the two to four days leading up to Christmas are expected to be the busiest, with Christmas Eve being the lightest air travel day of the week, says AAA.

“Holiday cheer is at an all-time high this year, with unemployment at historically low levels, and noted improvements in both disposable income and household net worth,” Paula Twidale, vice president, AAA Travel, said in a statement. “Travelers should be getting used to crowded highways and airports, as this marks the eighth straight year of new record-high travel volumes for the year-end holidays.”

Related:

• Going headfirst into the holidays
• Q&A: How travel insurance offers peace of mind during the holiday season
• Top 5 mistakes travelers make when filing a travel insurance claim