Related: National Tourism Office Shows Decline in International Inbound Travelers
AAA Predicts 116M Travelers This Holiday Season
The forecast is the most in nearly 20 years, and represents an increase of 3.9% over last year, or 4.3 million more people packing up their sleighs for a holiday getaway.

For the 104.8 million Americans traveling by automobile, INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts only marginal delays throughout the holiday week.
Photo via Brendan C/Flickr.
More Americans than ever on record, or 115.6 million, will travel this holiday season, from Dec. 21 through Jan. 1.
That is the most in nearly 20 years since AAA began tracking in 2000, and represents an increase of 3.9% over last year, or 4.3 million more people packing up their sleighs for a holiday getaway. More than 104 million of those holiday travelers will drive to their destinations and, INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, expects delays to be the worst on Dec. 26, with afternoon delays reaching nearly double congestion-free drive times in major U.S. cities.
Travelers will need to budget more for car rentals this holiday season. According to AAA’s Leisure Travel Index, the daily average rental rate this Christmas and New Year’s will reach $84, 11% more than last year and the highest price in 10 years. AAA Three Diamond hotel prices have increased 1% to $153, while AAA Two Diamond hotels will average $119, 2% less than last year.
Automobiles: 104.8 million Americans, the most on record, will drive to their holiday destinations. That means 3.9 million more people are expected on the roads compared with last year, for an increase of 3.9%.
Planes: With 4.9% growth, air travel will see the biggest increase in travel volume during the year-end holidays, with 6.97 million Americans expected to fly – the most since 2003.
Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships: Travel by these other modes will reach 3.81 million, 3% more than last year.
For the 104.8 million Americans traveling by automobile, INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts only marginal delays throughout the holiday week. Nationally, drivers could experience double the travel times on Thursday and Friday afternoon, although New York City and Washington, D.C. could see triple the delays.

Screenshot via AAA.
A recent analysis of AAA’s flight booking data revealed that most travelers depart two to four days prior to the Christmas holiday, Dec. 21-23, with the 22nd being the single busiest air travel day of the holiday week. These travelers, on average, pay ticket prices between $593 and $639. Christmas Eve is the best day to travel, with the lowest average price per ticket ($527) and the fewest crowds of the holiday week.
Many travelers opt to fly after the Christmas holiday leading up to New Year’s, and they pay a premium to do so. Dec. 26 has the highest average ticket price of the week at $692.
Originally posted on Auto Rental News
More Safety

Top 50 Executive Fleets
It is that time of year again! Time for the 2026 list of the Top 50 Executive Fleets, presented by Automotive Fleet and Volvo as part of its annual Fleet 500. Download now to see this year's list of companies!
Read More →
Applause & TRUCE Software Partner to Improve Driver Safety Through AI-Powered Telematics & Employee Performance Management
Applause has integrated TRUCE driving metrics directly into its employee-first performance and safety platform that transforms mobile devices into AI-powered telematics.
Read More →
How Detroit Assurance with Active Brake Assist Works
Do you want to see what it is like to experience Detroit Assurance’s Active Brake Assist? In this video, Work Truck will put you in the cab to see how it all works and then hear more details from DTNA’s Mike Young.
Read More →
Get Left of Loss: A 5-Step Workplace Prevention Framework for Fleet Operators
Violence risks do not stop at the driver’s door. Learn five practical steps fleets can take to spot threats early and protect workers before loss occurs.
Read More →How Better Visibility Cut Speeding Violations by 48%
Fleet leaders don't need more data, they need clearer visibility into what the data is saying. This case study explores how one utility replaced speeding-event counts with a single metric — miles driven in violation — to strengthen safety and significantly reduce speeding violations.
Read More →
13 Safe Driving Tips for Commercial Vehicle Drivers
Make sure you are spending time on the road safely with these important tips.
Read More →
Recalls You Need to Know About in July 2026
If you have Altec, Ford, General Motors, Harbinger, Hyundai, Mack Trucks, or Volvo Trucks vehicles in your fleet, you should check these important recalls issued by the National Highway Safety Administration.
Read More →
How Telematics Is Transforming Fleet Risk from Insight to Action
What if you could spot risky driving before it leads to a crash? See how telematics is still changing fleet safety today.
Read More →
DOT Rules Remain Firmly Lit on Marijuana
DOT says not so fast on marijuana. Even with federal reclassification efforts, commercial drivers in safety-sensitive roles remain subject to marijuana testing and prohibitions.
Read More →
Lytx Adds Fleet Management Enhancements to LytxOne Platform
Lytx has added new features to LytxOne to bring safety, operational insight, asset visibility, and compliance into a unified, all-in-one platform.
Read More →
