NEWS: 112.7 Million People Expected to Travel This Holiday Season

Can you believe that Christmas is next week?!

Hollywood Studios Christmas tree

Ready or not, here it comes! And if you’re planning on traveling this holiday season — you’re not alone. We already know some Disney World parks are sold out on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve — but across the rest of Florida, a record number of travelers will be making holiday journeys.

If you’re traveling this holiday season, you might want to pack some patience. AAA has estimated that 6.3 million Floridians will travel at least 50 miles from their home between December 23rd and January 2nd. This is an increase of about 108,000 more people compared to last year per the Orlando Business Journal.

Are you flying?

Not only that, but it’s the new record for the holiday year-end travel period in Florida. Of those millions of Floridians, 5.8 are expected to travel by car, with the remaining travelers flying or taking other means of transportation.

©CNN

A whopping 112.7 million people are expected to travel across the United States altogether — an increase of 3.6 million people over last year. AAA anticipates this will be the third busiest year for holiday travel since they began tracking in 2000.

©AAA

“This year, travel time will be extended due to Christmas Day and New Year’s Day falling on Sundays,” said AAA’s Senior Vice President of Travel, Paula Twidale. “With hybrid work schedules, we are seeing more people take long weekends to travel because they can work remotely at their destination and be more flexible with the days they depart and return.”

Orlando International Airport

Almost 102 million Americans will most likely drive to their destinations while 7.2 million are expected to fly — ff you’re heading to an airport this holiday season, expect long lines and lots of crowds. The most congested traffic days will be the Friday before Christmas, December 27th and 28th, and January 2nd, with travel times up to 25% longer.

Have you flown lately?

AAA also expects that 3.6 million Americans will travel by either bus, rail, or cruise ship — a 23% increase compared to last year.

Disney Wish

Make sure you leave yourself enough time to get to the airport or your destination if you’re traveling during the holidays. And, if you need some travel or planning tips — check out our posts below.

Be sure to stay tuned to DFB for more travel news!