GREENSBORO, N.C. — More than 70 million people are expected to travel for July 4th, setting a record for Independence Day travel. Out of those people, more than 2 million will be traveling from North Carolina.
AAA's data showed that's 5% more than last year and almost a 10% jump from 2019. Around 85% of those people will hop in their cars for the weekend.
However, the numbers at GasBuddy look a little different. An expert told WFMY that while millions are expected to drive for the holiday, a bigger rise is expected in air travel as more people are opting for longer trips.
Its data shows that gas prices are slowly rising and demand from consumers is down.
“I think a lot of what we’re seeing is consumers shifting what mode of transportation they’re taking. Gas prices have been relatively low, or were very similar last summer and with airfares having dropped compared to last year," said Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. "I think a lot of Americans are opting for some of those longer-haul vacation plans. They may not be driving and they could be flying, especially to overseas destinations.”
That rings true for drivers like Greg Littlefield. He said gas prices are still hurting his wallet and when holidays roll around he thinks twice before packing for a trip.
“For me, if I was going to pick up and drive to Disney World with my family, I’d look at airline tickets," Littlefield said. "I think that might be comparable to what it would cost us to make a road trip."
While that’s true for some people WFMY spoke to, others aren’t as worried. Charles Singley has been traveling from Georgia through the Carolinas and up to Virginia. While he’s seen prices go up and down, he said the past two months have been steady. It hasn't caused him to rethink traveling with his car.
“It’s been up and down. Sometimes parts of the year it’s been very low and it’s been very economical to travel and then sometimes it can get up there, usually around the holiday times when the gas prices rise. But it hasn’t been too bad. It’s been pretty steady over the past couple of months of my travels,” Singley said.
Whether you’re driving or flying this holiday, the travelers WFMY spoke to agreed on one piece of advice: make sure you're doing everything to keep you and the family traveling next to you safe this holiday weekend.
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