AAA Mid-Atlantic Says More Than Two-Million Marylanders Will Be Traveling This Holiday Season

The auto club says a large majority will be traveling by car.Frederick, Md (KM) The roadway’s and airways are expected to be a bit crowded over next week and a half. . AAA Mid-Atlantic says 2.2-million Marylanders will be traveling 50 miles or more from home during the Holidays. “The vast majority–which is consistent with most holidays—about 90-percent of those travelers will be driving to their holiday destinations which our  holiday travel period is actually starting  from December 23rd through January 2nd,” says Ragina Ali, Manager of Public and Government Affairs for the AAA Mid-Atlantic.She says this is a one-percent increase compared to last year.Ali noted that this year’s holiday travelers are heading by car out as gasoline prices are dropping. “Maryland’s average on Friday stood at $3.19 per gallon,” she says. “That ‘s actually 13-cents less than what we were paying this time last year, and it’s the lowest gas prices have been since October, 2021.”If you plan to travel by car this year, AAA reminds you to make sure your car is road-ready, and that includes checking the battery. The auto club says last year, it responded to 4500 calls in Maryland for dead batteries.Ali says airports are also expected to be packed during the Holiday travel period. She says 121,700 Marylanders are traveling by air this year, and that’s a 10-percent jump compared to last year. “Despite the fact that airline ticket prices are higher, that doesn’t seem to be a deterrent for those who want to travel this upcoming Holiday period and those who want to take to the skies,” she said.If you are planning to travel by air, Ali suggests you allow yourself ample time to get to the airport, and reserve a parking space ahead of time.This year, Ali says other modes of travel are also seeing an uptick. “About a little less than 92,000 Marylanders will be taking either buses, trains and cruises over this holiday period. And that’s the largest increase we’re seeing as far as modes go of about 27-percent,” she says.After the lifting of many COVID-19 restrictions, Ali says more people are itching to travel. “We have seen this renewed interest in travel,” she says. “While the COVID-19 pandemic isn’t completely behind us, I think we’re all just obviously learning how to adapt and live with it.”By Kevin McManus