A record 6.6 million Floridians are expected to crowd roads, airports and seaports for trips of 50 miles or more during the end-of-year holidays, according to the AAA auto club.
“Despite various inflationary pressures, Americans are still willing to budget for travel,” Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA, said.
Haas advised people to finalize plans early in anticipation of longer-than-usual lines.
“Seemingly every year around this time we hear about winter weather that causes widespread cancellations or delays,” Haas said. “That’s another reason why we encourage travelers to get travel insurance, which offers protection for covered expenses associated with flight cancellations, lost luggage and on flights with delays of as little as three hours.”
Florida travel is projected to be 3.4 percent higher than last year.
Nationally, 115.2 million people are projected to travel 50 miles or more, up 2.5 million from last year, but still below the record year of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The holiday period is considered Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, with the busiest days Dec. 23, Dec. 28 and Dec. 30.
News Service of Florida