Holiday travelers beware: Washingtonians are flocking to the roads, rails and skies in greater numbers than have been seen in more than a decade.
AAA Mid-Atlantic is predicting that 2.2 million Washingtonian-area residents will be traveling over Christmas or New Year’s.
In a transient area such as the nation’s capital, many of its residents will be homeward bound for the holidays, traveling 50 miles or more from the District, according to AAA.
“Travel has been down for the last couple of years because of the recession,” said John Townsend, manager of government and public affairs at AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Most people feel pretty good about their economic wherewithal now.”
| By the numbers |
| > 83 percent of Washington-area holiday travelers say they’ll spend it with family or friends. |
| > 93.7 percent of local holiday travelers will drive. |
| > 2.7 percent will fly. |
| > 3.5 percent will use other modes of travel. |
| Courtesy: AAA Mid-Atlantic |
Townsend said the Census Bureau found the Washington area to be the wealthiest region in the nation, meaning its residents “can afford to travel.”
Travelers might be feeling confident in their finances, but they’re still opting to take the cheapest mode of transportation. This year, about 2.1 million of the local holiday travelers will be driving to their destinations. The holiday travel period runs from Thursday through Jan. 2.
“Traveling by car is seems almost counterintuitive because gas prices, on average, are over $3 a gallon,” Townsend said. Washingtonians are paying 40 cents more per gallon this holiday season compared with last.
“[But] in spite of raised gas prices, people realize that if they travel with their family or friends, driving is still the cheapest way to travel,” Townsend said.
To help improve traffic flow for the local travelers, the Virginia Department of Transportation is removing temporary work zones on major roads over the holidays. However, permanent construction barriers will remain in place.
Air travel will be the method used the least by Washingtonians for the holidays. Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman Rob Yingling said the local airports are expecting an uptick in passengers this holiday season, with AAA citing 60,000 expected fliers.
In comparison, more local travelers will be taking alternative means of travel. An estimated 80,000 Washingtonians will be taking trains, buses or multiple modes to get home for that holiday celebration.
Townsend said that this is the first time in a long time that AAA has seen a significant increase in D.C. travel — with an overall of 83,000 more traveling.
“You know how Justin Timberlake brought sexy back?” Townsend said. “Well, Washingtonians are bringing travel back.”
