Christmas Holiday Travel To Surpass Last Year’s Record

AAA 2025 Year-End Holiday Travel Forecast graphic

Sonora, CA – As millions of Americans are traveling this Christmas holiday, AAA forecasts a 2.2% increase this year, surpassing last year’s record of 119.7 million travelers.

Nationwide, 122.4 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home during that period. AAA projects that California will see an increase of more than 445,000 compared with 2024’s numbers, as more than 16.5 million people will travel that same distance over the 13-day year-end holiday period that started December 20 and ends January 1.

“Year-end travel is a mix of family road trips, friend getaways, and tropical vacations,” said Doug Johnson, spokesperson for AAA Northern California. “Holiday celebrations look different for everyone, but a common thread is the desire to travel, whether it’s returning to your hometown or exploring new destinations.”

AAA provided this breakdown of year-end travelers by mode of transportation:

• By Car: Nationwide, this year, 89% of holiday travelers will take road trips. In California, the average cost per gallon of regular gasoline is $4.43, 8 cents higher than this time last year. In California, 14.5 million will be traveling by car, compared with 14.1 million last year. Nationwide AAA projects 109.5 million people will travel by car for their year-end trips, an increase of 2% compared to last year. For the first time in 4 years, the national average dropped below $3 a gallon this month, and prices could continue dropping as 2025 comes to a close, making them lower compared to the last holiday season, when the national average was $3.04.
• By Air: In California, more than 1.5 million travelers plan to fly. Nationwide, AAA projects a record 8.03 million travelers taking domestic flights this holiday season, a 2.3% increase compared to last year. This will be the first time on record that the number of domestic air travelers over the year-end holiday period exceeds 8 million.
• By Other Modes: In California, more than 542 thousand people will be traveling by bus, train, or cruise. Travel by other modes nationwide is expected to go up by 9%, with 4.9 million people traveling by other means. This category has seen a 25% increase since 2019, mainly due to the record-setting demand for cruises post-pandemic.