Independence Day travel to hit record high
With the Fourth of July comes opportunities to travel and that appears to be a popular plan in 2025.
Road trips and flights are projected to set records for Independence Day, according to AAA. More than 72 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home within the U.S. between June 28 and July 6, AAA estimates.
That includes 61.6 million traveling by car — the most ever recorded — and 5.84 million by air. It also represents a 2.4% total increase in trips compared to 2024, specifically a 2.2% increase in road trips and a 1.4% increase in air trips
Jim Garrity, director of public affairs at AAA East Central, said the uptick in travel plans over this year’s Independence Day week compared to 2024 is in line with the general trend across the year.
“There is a lot of excitement for travel,” Garrity said. “So many people are prioritizing travel for the summer.”
Garrity said road traffic from travel is expected to reach its peak on Wednesday, July 2, since plans on either weekend may overlap in the middle of the week. AAA reports that as per Hertz, Thursday, July 3, is projected to be the busiest day for renting cars.
Gas prices have so far remained lower than 2024, about 22 cents less for a gallon, AAA estimates. Regardless, Garrity said any possible spike in gas prices will likely not impact Independence Day travel plans.
“We have seen historically that when gas prices go up, people don’t cancel their trips,” Garrity said. “This is a big road trip holiday.”
Garrity said that AAA has a few recommendations for drivers to prevent dangerous situations, particularly in the midst of high temperatures, such as getting vehicle maintenance and packing emergency kits ahead of time. Tire treads, battery life and empty gas tanks are some other things to look out for.
Nearly 700,000 emergency roadside calls went out during the last Fourth of July weekend and Garrity said these precautions may help reduce that number this year.
AAA data suggests that domestic round trip flights over the Independence Day week are 4% more expensive than in 2024, averaging $810.
Flying on Tuesdays and Wednesdays is likely to cost less, AAA reported.
In Pennsylvania alone, nearly 3 million people are projected to travel domestically, 2.1 million by car and about 250,000 by air.
The average summer gasoline price for Pennsylvania is likely to be about $3.36, which is cheaper than the previous year, per AAA.
The National Weather Service expects small chances of thunderstorm in Butler County at night on Thursday, July 3.
Unlike the scattered rainfall and flash flood that have been observed in the past month, which is not uncommon for the area according to the NWS, the skies are predicted to clear out on Friday, July 4.
