AAA projects 122.4 million Americans to travel at least 50 miles from home over the 13-day year-end holiday period, beginning Dec. 20 and ending Jan. 1. This year’s forecast is a 2.2% increase over 2024, surpassing last year’s record of 119.7 million travelers.
“Year-end travel is a mix of family road trips, friend getaways and tropical vacations,” says Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel. “Holiday celebrations look different for everyone, but a common thread is the desire to travel, whether it’s returning to your hometown or exploring new destinations.”
Warm destinations dominate domestic travel for this year’s holiday season, with travelers headed to Florida, Southern California and Hawaii. AAA says it has ranked top holiday destinations based on AAA booking data for the year-end travel period. Top domestic destinations include:
- Orlando, Florida
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Miami
- Anaheim/Los Angeles, California
- Honolulu
- Tampa, Florida
- New York City
- Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas
- Las Vegas
AAA projects 109.5 million Americans will travel by car for their year-end trips, an increase of 2% compared with last year. The company also projects a record 8.03 million travelers to take domestic flights this holiday season, an increase of 2.3% compared with last year. AAA reports that this marks the first time on record that the number of domestic air travelers over the year-end holiday period exceeds 8 million.
Additionally, AAA anticipates travel by other mode to increase by 9%, with an estimated 4.9 million people traveling by bus, train or cruise over the year-end holiday period.
