Pack your patience has become an overused cliché for every conversation about travel these days, but it might be the necessary formula for the week to come.
People are taking off and hitting the road in numbers we haven’t seen since two years ago, though we’re not quite at pre-pandemic levels.
According to Triple A Texas:
AAA Texas: Year-End Holiday Travel to Rebound Almost to Pre-Pandemic Levels
32% increase in total travel volume over last year
Texas residents who had to cancel getaways and get-togethers last year because of the pandemic are making up for lost time this holiday season. More than 8.8 million Texans, an increase of 32% from last year and -8% fewer than 2019, will travel 50 miles or more away from home this year-end holiday season between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2. The majority of people, around 8.3 million, will drive to their destinations – an increase of 27% from 2020 and -7% fewer than 2019. There will be big jumps in the number of people flying, totaling approximately 334,000 domestic, leisure travelers around the Lone Star State– which is a 177% jump from 2020 – and around -20% fewer than 2019 levels. AAA also expects more people will travel by buses, trains and take a cruise – totaling around 171,000 Texans, which represents a 190% increase from last year and a -33% decrease from 2019.
On a national scale, more than 109 million people — an almost 34% increase from 2020 — will hit the road, board airplanes or take other transportation out of town for leisure. That dramatic bounce-back — 27.7 million more people traveling — will bring this year’s numbers to 92% of 2019 levels. Airlines will see a 184% increase from last year.
Pack your patience. Along with socks and clean underwear.
photo: Getty Images