MASS. - More than 47 million people across the country are expected to travel this July 4th weekend.

Some of the drivers at the Mass Pike rest stop in Charlton were headed to Ohio, Maryland and Texas. For some of them, its their first trip since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"There is a lot of pent up demand out there for travel, " said Mary Maguire, director of public and legislative affairs for AAA Northeast. "So people are excited to travel, kick up their heels and have some fun."

Amanda Grizzle is traveling from Massachusetts to Maryland and said she can't wait to hit the beach. 

"We are ready," said Grizzle. "Ready to go have fun in the sun."

But Brian Young is headed to Ohio and this weekend is the first time he will see his mom in more than a year. 

"This is the first time getting away," Young said. "I'm unbelievably excited. I'm looking forward to seeing my mom and my whole family." 

More than a million people are traveling in Massachusetts and most of them will be getting behind the wheel. Some drivers started their vacation a little early and left Thursday morning. 

"We tried to get on the road (Thursday)," said Young. "We figured everyone else would be traveling (Friday) for the weekend."

And so far, so good. Most said the traffic hasn't been bad and they hope the rest of their trip is just a smooth.  

"To be honest, it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be," said Young. 

"I am expecting to hit traffic in New York," said Grizzle. "But other than that, I am keeping my fingers crossed."

This 4th of July is projected to have the second-highest travel volume on record, only trailing 2019. 

"This represents a increase of about 45% from last year with the pandemic year," said Maguire. "No surprise there."

Thursday and Friday afternoon and Monday mid-day are expected to be the busiest days on the road.