Wisconsin AAA Expects Heavy Travel Over Independence Day Weekend

According to AAA, more than 781,000 Wisconsinites will travel at least 50 miles or more from their homes during the Independence Day holiday period, which began Wednesday and runs through Sunday.

AAA Wisconsin’s Nick Jarmusz said rising income and a strong employment market have led to an increased number of travelers not only this holiday weekend, but also during the busy summer travel season. Low gas prices also play a role.

“By this point in the year, we’re looking at about $500 in savings on gas compared to what people spent in the first six months of last year, so we think a lot of people are using that savings, you know, to take a trip that either they might not have otherwise taken, or upgrade some travel plans,” Jarmusz said.

Jarmusz said gas prices are almost a dollar below where they were at this time last year. At the national level, AAA projects that 41.9 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles or more from home. That’s the most since 2007, and is almost a 1 percent increase from those who traveled last year.