This Christmas season, 107.3 million Americans are expected to travel from Dec. 23 to Jan.1, according to AAA.
The majority of travelers, 97.4 million, are expected to drive, a 3 percent increase from 2016.
Another 6.4 million travelers will fly, a 4.1 increase from 2016 and the fourth consecutive year of air travel increases.
The remainder of travelers, 3.6 million, will be using rail, buses, and cruise ships. Travel in these categories is expected to increase 2.2 percent.
This year’s travel volume is 3.1 percent higher than 2016 and will set a record. Travel volume has grown by 21.6 million since 2005, a spike of more than 25 percent.
The greatest traffic congestion is expected on Wednesday and Thursday during the afternoon rush hour, according to global transportation analytics company INRIX.
“More expensive gas prices are not swaying holiday revelers to stay home,” Bill Sutherland, AAA senior vice president of travel and publishing, said. “In fact, across the board this year, travel has increased year-over-year for every major holiday weekend – Memorial Day, Independence Day, Thanksgiving – and we project the same for the year-end holiday period. We’ve seen the strong economy and growing consumer confidence fuel holiday travel all year long.”