AAA: Nearly 209,000 Delawareans Expected to Travel for Independence Day Holiday

 

 

“Independence Day is always the busiest travel holiday of summer. For many Americans, July 4th travel is a longstanding tradition, and that tradition remains strong this year even as prices rise for most modes of transportation,” said Jana Tidwell, manager of public and government affairs for AAA Club Alliance. “Whether people are hitting the road, boarding a flight, or taking a cruise, travelers continue to make summer holiday getaways a priority.”

 

2026 Projected Independence Day Holiday Travelers – Delaware

 

NUMBER OF TRAVELERS	Total Population	2026 Travelers	Percent of population traveling			Percent change vs. 2025
Delaware TOTAL Auto, Air & Other	1,059,952*	208,811	19.7%			0.9%
Delaware Auto	88.3% of people travel by car	184,432	17.4%			0.8%
Delaware Air	7.1% of people travel by air	14,839	1.4%			-0.3%
Delaware Other (train, bus, cruise, etc.)	4.6% of people travel by other modes	9,540	0.9%			4.8%
National TOTAL	342.7 million*	72.2 million		21.1%	0.5%
National Auto	85.1% of people travel by car	61.4 million		17.9%	0.2%
National Air	8.1% of people travel by air	5.85 million		1.7%	0.2%
National Other (train, bus, cruise, etc.)	6.3% of people travel by other modes	4.93 million		1.4%	5.3%

*U.S. Census Bureau (v2025)/MMGY Global

 

Nationally, Independence Dya holiday travel is also in line with 2025. AAA projects 72.2 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Independence Day holiday travel period*. AAA projects a record 61.4 million people will travel by car over Independence Day week and nearly 5 million people will travel by other modes of transportation (bus, train, cruise ship).

 

AAA’s Top Independence Day Destinations

 

AAA members are heading to major U.S. cities over July 4^th week and flying internationally to Canada and Europe. Alaska cruises are in peak season, that’s why Seattle, Anchorage, and Fairbanks are all top domestic destinations. Independence Day fireworks and festivities in New York, Chicago, and Boston also draw big crowds. Florida ranks high thanks to theme parks, beaches, and cruise ports. On the international side, Vancouver tops the list, followed by major European cities like Rome, Dublin, Paris, and London.

 

RANKING	DOMESTIC	INTERNATIONAL
1	SEATTLE, WA	VANCOUVER, CANADA
2	ORLANDO, FL	ROME, ITALY
3	ANCHORAGE, AK	DUBLIN, IRELAND
4	MIAMI, FL	PARIS, FRANCE
5	NEW YORK, NY	LONDON, ENGLAND
6	CHICAGO, IL	CALGARY, CANADA
7	FORT LAUDERDALE, FL	REYKJAVIK, ICELAND
8	FAIRBANKS, AK	AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS
9	DENVER, CO	ATHENS, GREECE
10	BOSTON, MA	BARCELONA, SPAIN

 

Summer Safety on the Road

 

July 4^th week can be especially dangerous on the road with more teen drivers behind the wheel and a rise in impaired driving due to holiday festivities. That’s why AAA is urging drivers to commit to 100 Days of Safe Driving this summer. According to AAA crash data analysis, nearly one in three summertime traffic deaths involves an impaired driver. AAA, in partnership with MADD, reminds anyone who plans to drink or use impairing substances to arrange a sober ride before going out.

 

Drivers preparing to take road trips should also prioritize car maintenance and stay on top of routine oil changes, plus check battery condition and tire pressure. Last year during Independence Day week, AAA responded to more than 687,000 roadside assistance calls. Half of those required towing services, and nearly 30% of those calls were for battery replacement and flat tires.

 

Once on the road, AAA reminds drivers to Slow Down, Move Over whenever there are emergency responders and stranded motorists on the side of the road. By reducing speed and changing lanes, drivers allow roadside workers to do their jobs safely and help prevent tragedies.

 

Best/Worst Times to Drive and Peak Congestion by Metro

 

INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, says the second weekend of the holiday period will be the busiest on the roads, starting Thursday, July 2. But in certain metros, like Boston, Los Angeles, and Philadelphia, peak congestion is expected Saturday, June 27. Drivers looking to avoid the heaviest traffic should leave early in the day or consider traveling on Monday or Tuesday.

 

Please note the times listed below are for the time zone in which the metro is located. For example, Atlanta routes = ET and Los Angeles routes = PT.

 

Best and Worst Times to Travel by Car
Date	Worst Travel Time	Best Travel Time
Saturday, Jun 27	12:00 PM – 5:00 PM	Before 10:00 AM
Sunday, Jun 28	2:00 PM – 4:00 PM	Before 11:00 AM
Monday, Jun 29	2:00 PM – 6:00 PM	Before 12:00 PM
Tuesday, Jun 30	3:00 PM – 6:00 PM	Before 2:00 PM
Wednesday, Jul 1	12:00 PM – 9:00 PM	Before 12:00 PM
Thursday, Jul 2	2:00 PM – 6:00 PM	Before 12:00 PM
Friday, Jul 3	12:00 PM – 7:00 PM	Before 11:00 AM
Saturday, Jul 4	10:00 AM – 2:00 PM	After 3:00 PM
Sunday, Jul 5	12:00 PM – 6:00 PM	Before 11:00 AM

SOURCE: INRIX

 

Independence Day Holiday Travel Period

AAA’s Independence Day holiday travel period spans nine days and includes two weekends. This year, the dates range from Saturday, June 27 to Sunday, July 5. Historically, this holiday period included only one weekend. The expanded travel window was instituted starting in 2024 with historical results calculated back to 2019 using the new nine-day period.

 

Holiday Travel Forecast Methodology

In cooperation with AAA, S&P Global Market Intelligence (SPGMI) developed a unique methodology to forecast actual domestic travel volumes. The economic variables used to forecast travel for the current holiday are leveraged from SPGMI’s proprietary databases. These data include macroeconomic drivers such as employment, output, household net worth, asset prices including stock indices, interest rates, housing market indicators, and variables related to travel and tourism, including gasoline prices, airline travel, and hotel stays. AAA and SPGMI have quantified holiday travel volumes going back to 2000.

 

Historical travel volume estimates come from MMGY’s TRAVEL PERFORMANCE/MonitorSM. The PERFORMANCE/MonitorSM is a comprehensive study measuring the travel behavior of U.S. residents. MMGY contacts over 50,000 U.S. households each month to obtain detailed travel data, resulting in the unique ability to estimate visitor volume and spending, identify trends, and forecast U.S. travel behavior, all after the trips have been taken.

 

The travel forecast is reported in person-trips. In particular, AAA and SPGMI forecast the total U.S. holiday travel volume and expected mode of transportation. The travel forecast presented in this report was finalized the week of May 18, 2026.

 

Because AAA holiday forecasts focus on domestic leisure travel only, comparisons to TSA passenger screening numbers should not be made. TSA data includes all passengers traveling on both domestic and international routes, whether traveling for work or leisure. Additionally, TSA screens passengers each time they enter secured areas of the airport, therefore each one-way trip is counted as a passenger tally. AAA focuses on person-trips, which include the full round-trip travel itinerary. As a result, direct comparisons of AAA forecast volumes and daily TSA screenings represent different factors.

 

INRIX Methodology

INRIX blends statistically grounded models with real-world road behavior to forecast travel conditions on the most heavily traveled routes across the U.S. during peak holiday periods. INRIX’s holiday traffic forecast combines pre-selected high-impact travel routes, rich multi-source traffic data, and a statistically robust linear regression model to generate detailed, time-specific travel delay predictions. INRIX’s data sources include a wide array of vehicle-based and infrastructure-based inputs. These include connected vehicle GPS data, mobile apps and navigation services, roadside sensors and cameras, and commercial fleet telematics. With expansive coverage, high temporal resolution, and historical context, this forecasting process provides essential insights for travelers, media, and agencies alike.

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