AAA says a record crowd of Californians will be traveling for the long Fourth of July holiday, with an estimated 5.7 million of us expected to hit the road or take to the skies -- up about 5.1% from last year.
The California holiday contingent is part of the 49 million-strong throng nationwide that AAA forecasts will travel more than 50 miles from home over the four-day weekend.
“We attribute that to a pretty good economy, lower unemployment, especially in California, and just more people choosing to spend their disposable income on travel,” AAA spokesman Michael Blaskey said.
He said about 4 million travelers will cram into airports across the United States, about 762,000 of them from California.
But Blaskey added that airfares are up by about 10% over last year, a factor that could push more people to drive rather than fly.
Blaskey said to avoid the most crowded conditions on the road to vacationland, keep an eye on the clock.
The worst time to start a Fourth of July trip is July 3 between 2:30 and 3:30 p.m., when commute traffic traffic starts to merge with holiday travelers, forming a "kind of perfect storm out on the roads."
KQED's Angela Corral contributed to this report.
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