AAA is predicting that 47.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home over the holiday weekend of June 30th to July 4th. That’s an increase of 3.7% over 2021, bringing travel volumes just shy of those seen in 2019. And despite record high gas prices, 42 million plan to hit the road for their July 4th travels.
Meanwhile, Priceline did some exploration to see where people planned to travel for the long holiday weekend. 2022’s destinations are nothing like 2021’s and especially 2020s when people were seeking what appeared to be the “safety” of the great outdoors. Or, as Kevin Heery, Priceline’s chief product officer said to Travel & Leisure magazine, “After two years of beach and coastal destinations topping the most popular lists, this summer we’re seeing the return of the big city.”
And which cities should expect to see the most visitors? In order:
- Las Vegas, NV (hotel prices avg. $172)
- New Orleans, LA ($390)
- Orlando, FL ($213)
- Chicago, IL ($249)
- New York, NY ($263)
“Travelers are excited to go back to major metros such as Las Vegas, Chicago, and New York to experience the culture, entertainment, and dining that larger cities have to offer,” Heery continued.
Although you can usually find deals in Las Vegas (hotel prices for the holiday weekend in Vegas are averaging about $172/night), the other popular cities, as you can see, are not exactly cheap.
It’s not all high expense, though
$213 to nearly $400 per night for a hotel room is admittedly a little crazy. However, some travelers are looking for more affordable cities. These are the most popular ones people are planning for July 4th:
- Dallas, TX ($133)
- Houston, TX ($135)
- Charlotte, NC ($148)
- Kissimmee, FL ($151)
- Las Vegas, NV ($172)
Psst! Don’t let that Kissimmee price fool you – those people are going to Florida theme parks and are still going to be paying a small fortune for their vacations.
Some are going international
Not surprisingly, some vacationers are planning to spend the 4th of July outside the U.S. The most popular cities outside the U.S. will be:
- London
- Paris
- Rome
- Barcelona
- Montreal
And those 15 cities are ones I am DEFINITELY going to avoid this 4th of July holiday weekend! OK, OK…I live in Orlando; I can’t avoid that one. But we’re going to avoid the parks like the plague. To be honest, we never travel over the July 4th holiday…everywhere, including local firework displays, is just too crowded for our tastes. We’ll just stay home, comfort the dog (she’ll be scared of the fireworks) and watch 1776.
Pins.
Feature Photo: Liz West / flickr / CC by 2.0
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