AAA predicts that this year’s holiday travel will break last year’s record and set a new 24-year high.
VPM News’ Hannah Davis-Reid talked to AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Morgan Dean about what to expect ahead of the holidays.
The following interview has been edited for clarity and style.
Hannah Davis-Reid: What are the big takeaways for holiday travel this year?
Morgan Dean: It doesn’t really matter what you’re going to be doing — hitting the road, hitting the skies, maybe hitting the cruise ports or grabbing a train — it’s going to be busy out there for the holidays.
We are predicting 122.4 million travelers, surpassing last year’s record of 119.7 million travelers. Nationally, about 110 million will be traveling by car. Breaking it down into Virginia a little bit more, looking at 3.4 million total traveling here, with just over 3 million of them hitting the roadways.
How’d we get to this projected record-breaking travel year?
We have seen travel growth increase every year since we got back to a more normal stance in the 2021–22 time period. And last year into this year, we have seen those numbers surpass what we saw back in the pre-pandemic days of 2019.
In 2025, economic uncertainty has been a large part of decisions being made for everyone across the country, but we have seen over and over again where people have continued to prioritize travel.
When do you expect to be the busiest travel days of the year?
A lot of people are going to be flying out or driving out this coming weekend, Dec. 20 and 21.
Saturday is going to be a busy day on the roadway; if you can wait it out and leave after 9 p.m., that may help you avoid some of the backups out there. The worst travel time period on Saturday will be noon to 8 p.m. On Sunday, the recommendation is to leave before 11 a.m. That may get you down the road a little bit further before those backups start.
We are expecting the week around Christmas to be a busier travel week than the week leading up to New Year’s, as most people are trying to get to their destinations before Christmas. But we see a lot of people jetting off to vacation, so Friday, Dec. 26, is also expected to be a busy day.
What can drivers expect at the gas pump?
Some pretty good news for drivers: Gas is actually down to the lowest price we’ve seen in about four years, both nationally and here in Virginia.
Today’s average in Virginia is $2.78. I looked back to see the last time that we hit a gas price that low, and it was May 10, 2021. We’re down about 13 cents in the past month, and 12 cents from what we were paying at this time last year, and we’re still a few days away from the holiday, so there’s a chance it could drop even a little bit more before a lot of people hit the roadways.
Do you have any tips for upcoming flight travel?
For those who are flying, get to the airport extra early. We recommend two hours for domestic flights and three hours for international. Give yourself an extra half hour to an hour just to make sure.
There’s a lot of traffic on the roadways, a lot of people looking for those same parking spots at the airport that you are, so it may mean you’re a little bit further out in one of the satellite lots. Give yourself a little extra time to get the bus, get into the building and get through ticketing and TSA.
Nationally, we’re looking at 8 million flyers over that time period; here in Virginia, we’re looking at about 186,000 flying travelers during that time period.
It’s very important for travelers to download the mobile app for their airline and be logged into that app and have notifications set up. That is your best line of information right there — you will get updates, and potentially be rebooked before you even know that your flight’s been canceled or delayed.
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