Holiday travel is ramping up. This year, AAA is anticipating an increase of nearly 34% in holiday travelers this year from 2020. Experts say more than 109 million people will travel, particularly between December 23 and January 2.
Luckily, AAA shared its year-end travel forecast — and the report includes the worst corridors and times to travel.
“Americans who canceled their vacations in 2020 want to gather with family and friends for the holidays this year, although they will still be mindful of the pandemic and the new omicron variant,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “With vaccines widely available, conditions are much different and many people feel a greater level of comfort with travel.”
Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX, which collaborated with AAA, added: “Although congestion will be overall lighter than normal, knowing when and where major delays will likely happen will help save time and reduce stress this holiday season.”
That said, one of the worst corridors to travel is in Chicago, the report shows. Specifically, Interstate 290 West, Morgan Street to Wolf Road. Experts say it’ll reach peak congestion from 3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on December 23, 2021, reaching about 240% over normal.
See the full report here.