CLEVELAND — The American Automobile Association said Tuesday it expects record-breaking numbers for Ohio residents traveling over the July 4 holiday weekend. 

What You Need To Know

  • AAA estimates 2.3 million Ohioans will travel 50 miles or more from home, which is a 4% increase from last year

  • Nationally, AAA projects 50.7 million Americans will travel, which sets a record for the holiday weekend

  • For the best and worst times to travel, scroll to the bottom of this article

AAA estimates 2.3 million Ohioans will travel 50 miles or more from home, which is a 4% increase from last year. Nationally, AAA projects 50.7 million Americans will travel, which sets a record for the holiday weekend. The previous record was set in 2019 with 49 million travelers in the U.S. 

“We’ve never projected travel numbers this high for Independence Day weekend,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “What this tells us is that despite inventory being limited and some prices 50% higher, consumers are not cutting back on travel this summer. Many of them heeded our advice and booked early, another sign of strong travel demand.”

AAA said it expects 2.05 million Ohioans to drive to their destination — a 3% increase from last year. Nationally, 43.2 million Americans are expected to drive. That's an increase of 2.4% from 2022 and 4% higher than 2019.

Those drivers are in luck when it comes to gas prices, which are far below what they were last year around this time. The national average for a gallon of regular this year is hovering around $3.50 a gallon, whereas last year, it was around $4.80 a gallon. 

Air travel is also expected to set some records. For Ohio, air travel is the highest it's been for July 4 since 2006, with 92,655 residents expected to fly to their locations this year. That's an 8.2% increase from last year. 

Nationally, 4.17 million Americans will fly, which is an increase of 11.2% compared to 2022 and a 6.6% increase compared to 2019. 

Different modes of transportation will also see a spike in travel this year. For Ohio, travelers using other modes of transportation will be near pre-pandemic levels, with 141,738 Ohioans expected to take a bus, a train or a cruise over the long weekend. That's a 24% increase over last year, according to AAA. Nationally, 3.36 million people are expected to use those modes of transportation as well. 

Best and worst times to travel

Thursday, June 29

  • Best time: Before noon
  • Worst time: Between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

Friday, June 30

  • Best time: Before 10 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
  • Worst time: Between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

Saturday, July 1

  • Best time: Before noon
  • Worst time: 1 p.m.

Sunday, July 2

  • Minimal traffic expected

Monday, July 3

  • Minimal traffic expected

Tuesday, July 4

  • Best time: Before 11 a.m. and after 6 p.m.
  • Worst time: Between noon and 3 p.m.

Tuesday, July 5

  • Best time: Before 2 p.m.
  • Worst time: Between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.