COLUMBUS – Holiday travel will be nearly back to pre-pandemic levels this Independence Day weekend, according to estimates from the AAA.
Ohio will experience the third-highest Fourth of July holiday travel volume on record, trailing 2018 and 2019, the last two years before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down travel nationwide.
“Travel is in full swing this summer. We have a huge pent-up demand for travel and people are ready to get out,” said Kimberly Schwind, senior public affairs manager for AAA Ohio.
Despite the highest gas prices in seven years, more than 1.9 million Ohioans will be among the record 43.6 million Americans who will drive to their destinations between July 1 and July 5, beating the previous record set in 2019.
The worst time to drive will be during the afternoon rush hour on July 1 and 2 while Schwind says the best time will be after 7:00 p.m. Thursday, July 1, or before noon on Friday, July 2.
A total of more than 47.7 million Americans will travel, including 3.5 million who will travel by air.
While masks are still required on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation to control the spread of the novel coronavirus, facial coverings are no longer required in outdoor transit hubs and in outdoor spaces on ferries, buses and trolleys.