The number of Americans that are set to travel during Thanksgiving week has hit the highest number in nine years. The most recent 2016 statistics show that almost 49 million US Americans are expected to travel during the holiday season.
According to a forecast by the American Automobile Association, as many as 48.7 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles in distance from November 23 to November 27, 2016. The forecast predicts a rise by at least one million travelers compared to last year.
The forecast continued to note that of the 48.7 million travelers, at least eighty-nine percent will be travelling by car with the remaining eleven percent travelling via plane. As such, roads are expected to display heavy traffic, especially on main roads, for the duration of the holiday.
As stated by Mercury News, the forecast displays a national increase of 1.9 percent in drives and an increase of 1.6 percent in plane trips compared to 2015 statistics. As the AAA predicts that most travelers will opt to move westward for the holidays, local airports such as the Oakland Airport are expecting traffic increases of up to ten percent.
With the amount of traffic, average driving speeds are expected to drop to less than half of the average road speed of 40 mph. Airport security and check-in lines are also expected to be longer than ever, thus prompting airlines to recommend that their passengers arrive at least three hours before their flights.
A report by the Washington Post also suggests that parking could become a pressing issue due to the increase of cars in different areas. Drivers are recommended to book their parking in advance to avoid the heavy congestion.
The increase of travelers this holiday season is supposedly due to the dropping gas prices and the rising economy of the United States. Experts have predicted that another increase in travelers is to be expected during the upcoming New Year.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
