Christmas travel to hit record high this year
If Christmas feels like it’s getting earlier every year, so is the getaway as Americans are unwrapping their holiday travel plans ahead of schedule and in record fashion — according to AAA’s Christmas 2025 travel report.
AAA projects that 122.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the 13-day year-end holiday period beginning Saturday, Dec. 20, and ending Wednesday, Jan. 1, continuing a post-pandemic trend of holiday fever driven by flexible work schedules, strong demand for family gatherings and a renewed appetite for year-end vacations.
Year after year since 2020, AAA has seen a steady increase in Christmas travel plans, with this year’s forecast seeing a 2.2% increase over 2024, surpassing last year’s record of 119.7 million travelers.
“People are eager to travel this holiday season,” said Debbie Haas, vice president of Travel for AAA. “That’s leading to record numbers on the roads and in the skies. Our advice is to plan ahead. Book early, allow extra time to reach your destination, and think about travel insurance, if you’re flying during winter weather. It’s the best way to protect both your trip and your peace of mind.”
AAA projects 109.5 million Americans will travel by car for their year-end trips, an increase of 2% compared to last year.
According to Jim Garrity, a AAA spokesperson, people will start hitting the road for holiday travel on Saturday, Dec. 20, with Dec. 26 and 28 being the busiest days after the holiday, while Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are expected to be less busy on the roads.
“Speaking from experience, I just traveled on Thanksgiving last month,” Garrity said. “You will see a lot of people are already wherever they need to be with minimal traffic.”
Leaving the house before 11 a.m. is ideal to beat the traffic according to AAA no matter the day. Dec. 26 is expected to be one of the busier days on the road as travelers make moves post-Christmas Day.
Gas prices are either similar or slightly less compared to this time last year, with the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline at $2.90 as of Friday, Dec. 19, according to AAA.
In Pennsylvania, the average price for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.15, while the average price in Butler County was $3.22.
“The nationwide average dropped below $3 for the first time since 2021,” Garrity said. “Going across the country you are going to see gas prices cheaper than you have seen in the last four years. It might be an early Christmas gift for people.”
Garrity credits the stabilization of oil prices, which are currently hovering at about $60 a barrel, as the main driver for lower gas prices at the pump.
“When you look at the cost of oil, 50 to 60 cents of every dollar you spend at the pump is related to the cost of oil because it is the main ingredient in gasoline,” Garrity said. “Just like if the price of flower goes up, so does everything you buy at the bakery.”
Last Christmas travel season, AAA responded to over 860,000 emergency roadside service calls, and with that in mind, Garrity recommends always leaving early to not be in a rush on the road, as well as to check tire pressure, fluids and batteries before hitting the road.
AAA says a record 8.03 million travelers will take to the skies in the coming days, a 2.3% increase compared to last year. This will be the first time on record that the number of domestic air travelers over the year-end holiday period exceeds 8 million.
Domestic flights are 7% more expensive this year according to AAA, which is based on what travelers paid when they booked their holiday trips, with the average ticket cost coming to about $900.
With winter weather varying across the country, AAA and Garrity recommend air travelers to look into travel insurance, as snowstorms can impact travel times.
“We always recommend people go to a travel adviser because if you are out there shopping on your own, you might miss some of the fine print,” Garrity said. “You might think your insurance covers something that it does not. They will inform you of what your policy covers and what it does not.”
According to Colton Milcarek, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh, the chance of seeing a white Christmas is low, with temperatures expected to stay above freezing for parts of next week.
“Looking at the outlook, it will be a temperature roller-coaster over the next few days,” Milcarek said. “We will have a cool spell early next week before it warms up for the holidays.”
Temperatures will fluctuate between the mid-30s to the mid-40s over the next few days and into next week, and then it will hit 50 degrees for the high on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
As of Dec. 19, Milcarek said there is nothing on his radar that indicates snow or icy conditions will impact travel patterns, but that could change as we head into the week after Christmas.
“There are not high chances of snow until maybe Dec. 23 through 25,” Milcarek said. “We have more so a chance of rain those days with a small mix of snow. We will carry that warm weather to pretty much the new year.”
