Holiday travel continues to rebound in 2022

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As the world moves farther away from the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, more and more people are opting to travel for the holidays.

AAA reported that an estimated 112.7 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Dec. 23, 2022 and Jan. 2, 2023, or roughly an increase of 3.6 million people over the 2021-2022 holiday season.

“This year, travel time will be extended due to Christmas Day and New Year’s Day falling on Sundays,” Paula Twidale, AAA senior vice president of travel said in a statement. “With hybrid work schedules, we are seeing more people take long weekends to travel because they can work remotely at their destination and be more flexible with the days they depart and return.”

AAA reported that 2022 would be the third-busiest year for travel since the association began tracking those statistics in 2000.

The majority of those traveling over the holiday season this year are expected to travel by automobile, with an estimated 102 million Americans taking to the roads, or an expected increase of 2 million drivers than last year’s holiday season. While those numbers are in line with 2018 statistics, there are still six million fewer drivers hitting the roads for the holidays than 2019.

Air travel on the other hand will see an estimated 14% increase over last year, with more than seven million Americans flying during this holiday season.

“Demand for flights has surged despite higher airline ticket prices,” AAA reported. “AAA expects the number of people taking holiday flights this year will come close to matching 2019 when 7.3 million Americans traveled by air.”

“If the distance is not reasonable to drive, more people are taking to the air to maximize the time spent at their destination,” Twidale said. “Conversely, if the travel distances are reasonable and more than one or two people in the household are taking the trip, it may be more cost-effective to drive rather than buy multiple air tickets, rent a car, and spend too much money before the fun even begins.”

According to the U.S. Travel Association, the latest forecast for leisure travel will “remain resilient” while domestic business travel will “continue its slow but steady recovery.” Full recovery of international inbound travel is not expected to reach pre-pandemic levels until 2025.

It is also anticipated that less frequently utilized transportation methods, such as bus, rail and cruise ship, will also see a combined 23% increase over last holiday season.

Other modes of transportation are also rebounding in a big way. AAA estimates travel by bus, rail, and cruise ship will rise to 3.6 million this holiday season, a 23% increase from last year and nearly 94% of 2019’s volume.