Cheaper Gas Won't Lead to Holiday Travel Spike

The number of Maryland residents traveling for the Christmas and New Year’s holidays is expected to be flat compared with last year, says the Baltimore Business Journal.

AAA Mid-Atlantic projects 1,959,000 residents to travel 50 miles or more from home between Dec. 21 and Jan. 1. The company’s website says most travelers — nearly 1.8 million — are expected to do so via automobile. That's a 0.1 percent increase compared with last year's holiday period.

Some 107,600 Marylanders, or 5 percent of those traveling, are expected to do so via airplane, the Business Journal said. That's down 1 percent from last year.

Gas prices have climbed slightly from the multi-year low of $3.18 per gallon on Nov. 12, AAA says, but most drivers will pay less than a year ago to fill up during the holiday season. Prices should decline by the end of the year due to rising supplies and increased refinery production.  As of Dec. 16, the national average cost was $3.23 per gallon, reflecting a three cents decrease from a week ago. 

And while you might think the holidays are meant for family travel, that's not necessarily the case. Some 49 percent of Marylanders vacationing for the holidays indicated they will be traveling with one other adult compared with 25 percent who stated they will be traveling with family, the Business Journal reports.

“There appears to be a new trend for the year-end holiday of more adults traveling alone versus with families, which may be an indication of an aging population and perhaps parents taking a much needed getaway without the kids for the New Year’s holiday,” Ragina Averella, a spokeswoman for AAA Mid-Atlantic, said in a statement.