Nearly 72.2 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home for Independence Day between Saturday, June 27 and Sunday, July 5. This year’s domestic travel forecast surpasses last year’s record of 71.8 million travelers but is smaller than recent year-over-year gains, with cruises the only mode of transportation seeing significant gains.

Independence Day Travelers by Mode of Transportation

By Car: AAA projects 61.4 million people will travel by car over the July 4th week, nearly the same number as last year when 61.3 million travelers took road trips. Eighty-five percent of Americans traveling for Independence Day are expected to drive to their destinations, despite gas prices reaching four-year highs.

For travelers renting cars over July 4th, AAA car rental partner Hertz expects Thursday, July 2 to be the busiest pickup day.

The rental company says Orlando, Denver, Boston, Los Angeles, and New York City are the cities with the highest demand based on advanced bookings. According to AAA booking data, domestic car rentals are 10% more expensive this holiday week compared to last year.

By Air: AAA projects 5.85 million travelers will take domestic flights over the July 4th week, a 0.2% increase over last year.

By Other Modes: Travel by other modes is seeing the biggest year-over-year growth compared to car and air travel.

AAA projects 4.93 million Americans will take buses, trains, and cruises over Independence Day week, a 5.3% increase from last year.

Top Independence Day Destinations

Best/Worst Times to Drive and Peak Congestion by Metro

INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, says the second weekend of the holiday period will be the busiest on the roads, starting Thursday, July 2. But in certain metros, like Boston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, peak congestion is expected Saturday, June 27.

Drivers looking to avoid the heaviest traffic should leave early in the day or consider traveling on Monday or Tuesday.

Times listed below are for the time zone where the metro is located. For example, Atlanta routes = ET and Los Angeles routes = PT.

SOURCE: INRIX

AAA’s Independence Day holiday travel period spans nine days and includes two weekends. This year, the dates range from Saturday, June 27 to Sunday, July 5. Historically, this holiday period included only one weekend. The expanded travel window was instituted starting in 2024 with historical results calculated back to 2019 using the new nine-day period.