ATLANTA, June 27, 2012 — Travelers don’t seem to mind that July 4 falls on a Wednesday this year.
According to AAA, 42.3 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles this Independence Day holiday, which it defines as July 3-8. That would tie the number of travelers in 2007, the highest volume in the past decade.
That’s no doubt fueled — at least in part — by lower gas prices. This week, prices nationwide averaged $3.420 per gallon, down from $3.666 per gallon a month ago and $3.601 per gallon a year ago, according to AAA.
“At this point, retail gasoline prices are forecast to continue their decline into the heart of the summer travel season,” Jessica Brady, a AAA spokeswoman, said in a news release.
The still-sluggish economy has caused many to modify their travel plans this summer, a survey from Atlanta-based AutoTrader.com suggests. It found that 79 percent of respondents modified their travel plans because of the economy, but when they do head out of town, they’re likely to be behind the wheel.
According to AAA, a majority of Americans (35.5 million) plan to drive this July 4 — a four percent increase from the number who hit the highways last year. Similarly, the AutoTrader.com survey found that 28 percent of travelers are more likely to pick a destination they can drive to this summer when compared to last year.
“The fact that more travelers are choosing destinations they can reach by car because of economic concerns is a signal of caution, but the positive sign in the data is that people are still planning to go on vacation at all,” Rick Wainschel, vice president of automotive insights at AutoTrader.com, said in a news release.
Of course, when the vacation is over, another one might be in order. At least, a new survey from Cambria Suites suggests that’s the case.
Nearly a quarter of adults (24 percent) say they need a vacation after they return from a family trip (or 29 percent for adults living with children 18 years old or younger).
To escape, seven percent of respondents said they look forward to a “solo” business trip as a means of recovering, according to the survey. That’s probably because children ask “Are we there yet?” an average of nine times during a seven-day family vacation, the survey determined.
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