A record 6.6 million Floridians are expected to crowd roads, airports and seaports for trips of 50 miles or more during the end-of-year holidays, according to the AAA auto club.
“Despite various inflationary pressures, Americans are still willing to budget for travel,” Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA, said.
Haas advised people to finalize plans early in anticipation of longer-than-usual lines. “Seemingly every year around this time we hear about winter weather that causes widespread cancellations or delays,” Haas said. “That’s another reason why we encourage travelers to get travel insurance, which offers protection for covered expenses associated with flight cancellations, lost luggage and on flights with delays of as little as three hours.”
Florida travel is projected to be 3.4% higher than last year. Nationally, 115.2 million people are projected to travel 50 miles or more, up 2.5 million from last year, but still below the record year of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The holiday period is considered Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, with the busiest days on Dec. 23, Dec. 28 and Dec. 30.
![From Amelia Island on the northeast tip of Florida to Alligator Reef in the Keys. From the pink sands of Eleuthera in the Bahamas to the slopes of Mount Scenery on the Dutch island of Saba in the Lesser Antilles. The May issue of our Explore Florida & the Caribbean takes you places – by land, sea and air. The new issue that will appear in digital format on Sunday, May 5, features stories on Florida’s lighthouses, cruise-line dining, a return to ultra-luxe Little Palm Island in the Keys, a camping trip to Peanut Island in Palm Beach County, a […]](https://www.sun-sentinel.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Explore-Florida-cover-May-2024.jpg?w=620 "From Amelia Island on the northeast tip of Florida to Alligator Reef in the Keys. From the pink sands of Eleuthera in the Bahamas to the slopes of Mount Scenery on the Dutch island of Saba in the Lesser Antilles. The May issue of our Explore Florida & the Caribbean takes you places – by land, sea and air. The new issue that will appear in digital format on Sunday, May 5, features stories on Florida’s lighthouses, cruise-line dining, a return to ultra-luxe Little Palm Island in the Keys, a camping trip to Peanut Island in Palm Beach County, a […]")
