A long holiday weekend is here as we celebrate America’s independence, and many of you are set to hit the road.
As for how many Texans will be on the road this weekend that number could be over three million.
“We are expecting a total of 2.7 million Texans to drive. That’s up 3% from last year for this Independence Day Weekend,” said Daniel Armbruster of AAA Texas.
About 300,000 of you will travel by plane, and Armbruster says that you can expect to find cheaper flights as well.
“Average air fares for the top 40 domestic flight routes will be about ten percent lower; with the average round trip costing you around $186,” Armbruster stated.
He also says hotels and car rentals will be cheaper this year than they have in the past. The top destination for your summer getaway is Orlando, Florida.
And if you're driving, you can expect cheaper gas prices.
Prices around Houston are averaging $2.02 a gallon. Gas is now actually cheaper than it was in January, which rarely happens. Patrick DeHaan at Gas Buddy explains why we are seeing this.
“The market was hoping OPEC would further cut production in late May when it met, but OPEC did not, and oil prices have been on a downward trajectory,” DeHaan explained.
And as we know in Houston, while lower gas prices may be good for your wallet, they may not be good for the city's economy long-term.
“There is what we would call a happy medium where motorists are happy and oil companies are happy because they don’t have to make layoffs. We are close to that point,” DeHaan said.
DeHaan says you've probably already seen gas prices peak for the entire year. The price of gas is usually 47 cents higher on July fourth than they are on January first.