The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and the travel rush is already heating up.Millions of Americans are preparing to get out of town sometime in the coming holiday week. That will likely mean busy roads, as well as packed airports and train stations.Motor club AAA projects that some 70.9 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from their homes over a nine-day Independence Day travel period — surpassing pre-pandemic numbers for the U.S. holiday.
If past trends hold, travel will likely be higher on the days before and after the Fourth — particularly closer to the weekend. In 2023, for example, more than 2 million people were screened on the Fourth, which landed on a Tuesday last year, down from 2.88 million the Friday before.Flights can be delayed or canceled for an array of reasons — from plane-specific mechanical problems to major storms impacting popular travel paths.