Americans Traveling this Fourth of July

June 27, 2007

Americans Traveling this Fourth of July
June 27, 2007 –According to a new AAA survey, a record 41.1 million Americans will leave home this July 4 holiday week. Fourth of July travelers intend to spend the entire week on their holiday trip this year, says the report. In fact, the largest share of July 4 holiday travelers are planning to leave Friday, June 29 or before (37.9 percent).

Approximately 34.7 million travelers (84 percent) expect to go by motor vehicle, a 0.7 percent increase from the 34.5 million who drove a year ago. Another 4.7 million (11 percent of holiday travelers) plan to travel by airplane, up 3.5 percent from the 4.5 million that flew last Fourth of July. A projected 1.7 million vacationers (4 percent) will go by train, bus, or other mode of transportation.

"This Fourth of July holiday is somewhat unique, in that it falls in the middle of the work week," said AAA Travel Managing Director Betsy Sell. "Interestingly, we’re finding that Americans aren’t willing to give up their traditional Fourth of July celebrations with friends and family, and many are choosing to take a few more days off of work to do so. Although prices for gasoline are higher this holiday than last year, Americans have felt a bit of relief in fuel prices over the last few weeks, which may influence their decision to travel."

The National Park Service is encouraging travelers to visit a national park over the holiday.

"I invite everyone to come celebrate Independence this year at one of the many diverse sites in the National Park System", said Mary A. Bomar, Director of the National Park Service. "Many of the events and people that established and helped maintain our Independence as a nation are today commemorated in areas managed by the NPS."

The National Park Service has created a Web site to help visitors plan their trip to an NPS site this Independence Day. By visiting the Celebrate Independence in America’s National Parks website at:http://www.nps.gov/pub_aff/inde/celebrate.htm, people can learn of the many special events and programs taking place during the week of and on the Fourth of July at NPS sites throughout the nation. In addition to a list of parks holding special programs, the Web site includes information and Web links to books and documents related to the theme of Independence, and an overview and list of several national park sites related to Independence.