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The peak of holiday travel is this weekend. What you need to know
Evening traffic moves slowly on Interstate 5 in Los Angeles on Feb. 6, 2024.
(
David McNew
/
AFP
)
Topline:
Some 10 million Southern California residents will travel out of the region through Jan. 1, according to AAA. This Saturday and Sunday are expected to be the busiest for driving for this year-end travel season.
How are people travelling? “The vast majority are gonna go by automobile, about 8.9 million Southern Californians taking road trips,” said Doug Shupe of the Automobile Club of Southern California.
About 945,000 people are travelling by air with another 332,000 people taking alternative forms of transportation like buses, trains, and cruises.
Where are people going? SoCal residents are mostly driving to places like San Diego, Las Vegas, the Central Coast and local national parks.
Meanwhile, Anaheim and the Los Angeles area are No. 4 in the top five domestic travel destinations for year-end holidays.
“Disneyland plays a huge role in that, but a lot of people nationwide will come to Southern California to celebrate,” Shupe said.
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Is travel up? Holiday travel has seen continued growth all year. Compared to last year, auto travel has increased 2.7%, air travel is up 1.7% and alternative methods like trains, buses and cruises are up a whopping 7.4%.
Overall, travel this year is 10.3% higher compared to just before the pandemic began in 2019.
Any travel advice? Leave early! And that goes for those traveling by car and plane, Shupe said.
If you’re driving, inspect your vehicle before hitting the road. “Check your tire tread and inflation, inspect your battery, your headlights and turn signals,” said Shupe.
A winter storm is expected to hit Southern California beginning Tuesday, so make sure your windshield wipers are in good shape or get them replaced.
Flying? Get to the airport two hours early for domestic flights and at least three hours before international ones.
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