Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Holiday Travel on the Rise

Heading out of town for the holidays? If so, you're not alone: AAA projects that 2.2 million New Jerseyans will be traveling at least 50 miles between this coming Friday and January 2, up slightly from last year. Nationwide, there will be 91.9 million people traveling that far for Christmas or New Year's, up 1.4 percent over last year's total.

Interestingly enough, we're seeing a shift from flying to driving for the holidays. This year, 6 percent of all holiday travelers are expected to take a plane, down 10 percent from last year. Drivers are expected to make up up 91 percent of all holiday travelers, up 0.9 percent from 2010. As a result, the average distance traveled is down significantly, from 1052 miles per trip last year to 726 miles per trip this year.

All told, more than 2 million people will be on the roads for the holidays, and around 140,000 in the air - which leaves 65,000 people using what AAA calls "another method," primarily railroads. That mode of transport is actually the biggest gainer on the year, up 3 percent from 2010.

No comments:

Post a Comment