BALTIMORE — The Fourth of July is just a few days away, and as always, it's expected to be one of the busiest travel weeks of the year.
AAA has released their 2024 forecast.
State experts estimate that about 1.5 million Marylanders will be off work during the Independence Day holiday.
For the first time, the organization has expanded its forecast coverage to include the entire week of July 4th, as well as the Saturday before and the Sunday after.
The majority of Marylanders who use the roads (90%, or 1.3 million people) travel by car, up 4% from last year.
Meanwhile, gas prices are a few cents higher than last year compared to other states across the nation.
So that begs the question, when is the best time to travel? Here are AAA's suggestions:
Date Worst Travel Time Best Travel Time Monday, July 1st
Traffic impacts are expected to be minimal.
Tuesday, July 2
2pm – 6pm
After 7pm
Wednesday, July 3
2pm – 7pm
Before noon
Thursday, July 4
2pm – 7pm
Before noon
Friday, July 5
11:00am – 4:00pm
Before 10 a.m.
Saturday, July 6
10:30am – 2:30pm
Before 10 a.m.
Sunday, July 7
2pm – 8pm
Before 11:00 AM
Monday, July 8
1pm – 5pm
After 7pm
That would mean roughly 103,500 people flying, a 5% increase from 2023.
Here's a more detailed breakdown of AAA's offerings:
2024 Independence Day Holiday Maryland Travelers
Total distance traveled
car
air
other
(bus, train, cruise)
2024 (forecast)
1,494,331
1,327,538
103,544
63,250
2023 (actual)
1,436,218
1,278,207
98,900
59,110
2019 (Results)
1,389,843
1,225,635
95,964
68,244
Percentage change (2023 to 2024)
4.05
3.86
4.70
7.00
Percentage change (2019 to 2024)
7.52
8.31
7.90
-7.32
Source link
