Illinoisans and the Rest of the Country Are Hitting the Road Over the 4th of July

This Independence Day, a record-breaking 44.2 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home, taking to the nation’s roads, skies, rails and waterways to honor the red, white and blue. With 1.25 million more travels than last year, 2017 will be marked as the most traveled Independence Day holiday weekend ever.

That's according to a study done by AAA Chicago, an organization that knows a thing or two about people's travel habits. Here in Illinois:

In Illinois, 2.4 million people will be traveling for the holiday weekend, which is a 2.9 percent increase from 2016. Of those travelers, 2.1 million will be driving (up 2.9 percent from 2016) and 108,000 will be flying to their destination (a 3.8 increase from 2016). Gas prices across Illinois are on average $2.32, down from $2.56 in 2016.

Taking a look at some of the projected travel numbers:

• Overall, 44.2 million travelers are expected to travel this Independence Day, a 2.9 percent increase over 2016.
• 37.5 million Americans will drive to their destinations, an increase of 2.9 percent over last year.
• 3.44 million people are taking to the skies this Independence Day, increasing air travel by 4.6 percent over the last year.
• 3.27 million travelers, an increase of 1.4 percent from 2016, will look to other modes of transportation, including cruises, trains and buses.

That begs the question, if so many people are hitting the road, where are they going? Not surprisingly, Orlando, Florida remains the number one summer travel destination, followed by Vancouver, Cancun, Seattle, Punta Cana, Honolulu, Anaheim, Anchorage, Las Vegas, and Montego Bay.