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Fourth of July: Where SoCal residents are going
It's going to be the biggest July 4th weekend for SoCal travelers since 2007. Las Vegas and San Diego top the destination list.
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File photo by MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images
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Hitting the road this weekend? So will lots of your neighbors.
With more than 2.98 million people in the Southland taking a holiday getaway, we’re going to have the highest number of July Fourth weekend travelers since 2007. That’s according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.
“We're seeing continued confidence, continued recovery from that recession, which did really hurt travel,” said AAA spokesperson Marie Montgomery. “People are feeling a little bit more confident about spending money and feel that they can afford it — and so they're taking the trip.”
According to AAA’s survey, the top destinations for SoCal travelers this weekend will be:
- Las Vegas
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- California Central Coast (Santa Barbara to Monterey)
- Grand Canyon and Yosemite (a tie)
Montgomery said that July Fourth gas prices will be the cheapest since 2010, and that’s going to put a bit more money in travelers’ pockets.
“Even though the prices have dropped, there's a big variation between the highest and the lowest,” said Montgomery. “You really want to shop around before you just get off the freeway and buy the first thing you see.”
As expected, traffic may be unavoidable. Montgomery said that it could most affect people coming home on Sunday.
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Her advice? Leave early or try to stretch your holiday to Monday.
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