LOS ANGELES—Following a Holiday Travel Thanksgiving travel season that set records, Southern California residents are now gearing up to escape the area for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays, with the Automobile Club of Southern California anticipating 9.5 million locals to travel via roads and airways.
The Auto Club’s prediction marks a 3 percent increase from last year’s travel numbers during the same period and a 2 percent rise compared to 2019, the last pre-pandemic year-end holiday season. Nationally, a staggering 115.2 million people are expected to travel for the holidays, making it the second-busiest on record, trailing only behind the 119.3 million who traveled in 2019.
Holiday Travel
The holiday travel season, defined by the Auto Club as Dec. 23 through Jan. 1, will witness 8.3 million Southern California residents opting to drive to their destinations, while 829,000 are expected to take to the skies. Others will utilize alternative means such as buses, trains, or cruise ships.
“With a new record for year-end travel among Southern Californians, we are expecting roads, airports, and cruise ports to be very busy this month,” commented Jena Miller, the Auto Club’s vice president for travel products and services. She noted the surge in consumer demand for leisure travel this year, and the momentum is anticipated to carry into 2024.
The top destinations for Southern California travelers are projected to be Las Vegas, San Diego, the Central Coast, Palm Springs/Coachella Valley, and the Grand Canyon.
Citing research by transportation research firm INRIX, the Auto Club predicts that the southbound Golden State (5) Freeway between Bakersfield and Los Angeles on the evening of Dec. 27 will be the busiest stretch of freeway during the travel period. Additionally, Dec. 23 is expected to be a busy travel day, with the northbound 15 Freeway between San Diego and Interstate 10 experiencing congestion.
