It’s probably pretty obvious that with summer now in full swing, you’ll probably experience fluctuating wait times, heavier crowds, and even some weird weather patterns in Orlando.
Orlando International Airport
But, did you know that holidays can affect travel patterns too? With major airlines and speed trains advertising fare specials around this time, you really could need to plan to pack extra patience and allow for an insurgence of travels. At least, that seems to be the way the numbers are trending right now!
According to AAA, the upcoming Fourth of July holiday could be booming over more than just fireworks. They’re projecting more than 70 million travelers will be headed for travels of 50 miles or more from home over the holiday week. When they studied the projected numbers for the Saturday before the week of the holiday, the full week, and the Sunday afterward, they concluded travelers could expect a 5% increase over 2023 and a whopping 8% increase from the same period of time in 2019.
©AAA
That’s right — the current projection for the upcoming Independence Day holiday is expecting the number of people traveling to exceed pre-pandemic numbers. Paula Twidale, the Senior Vice President of AAA Travel, attributes summer break for kids and the flexibility of remote work as a big part of why these projected numbers have seen such an incline. “We anticipate this July 4th week will be the busiest ever with an additional 5.7 million people traveling compared to 2019.” In fact, Orlando has been named as the second-highest vacation destination on their list.
©Spirit Airlines
The busiest projected pick-up days for travelers are expected to be Friday, June 28th, Saturday, June 29th, and Wednesday, July 3rd, 2024. So, what does this mean for Orlando? If you’re traveling by car to Orlando, AAA expects to see lower gas prices at the pump which might encourage those who were on the fence about traveling or between travel methods to choose this route. If you’ll be driving, make sure you allow for more frequent fuel-ups at regular intervals, and don’t be surprised to find yourself in more congestion and bottleneck areas, especially in metro cities.
Gas stations will be busy
Should you be expecting to travel by air for the holidays to Orlando, you’ll want to allow for extra time checking in at the airport, for full security screenings (or check into other speedier security options like TSA Pre-Check), and practice patience especially when you recognize more people flying who might not be as familiar with the processes and procedures.
Security Lines at MCO
But if you’re really looking to avoid the absolute WORST times to be traveling, there’s more data to back this up, too! According to INRIX, which is a company that specializes in transportation data and insight, the worst times to be driving before and on July 4th, 2024 are expected to be between 2PM and 7PM. Your best course of action to avoid traffic patterns predicted at their worst is to travel in the morning or hit the road as early as possible. Additionally, travelers looking to return from their holiday vacations on July 8th, 2024 should anticipate avoiding rush hour traffic in both the morning and afternoon hours.
We’re always looking for the best way to help you travel to Orlando with the least amount of cancellations, delays, and issues possible. We’ll continue to keep you updated on the travel trends we’re seeing, so be sure to stay tuned with us at Disney Food Blog for all the latest!
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Do you already have plans to travel for the Fourth of July? Tell us in the comments below!
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And to think all the Disney haters feel Orlando, Central Florida, and the State itself doesn’t need or want Disney. As many people stated in the past, The Orlando area would still be an undeveloped swampland if it wasn’t for Disney. I think think Florida (especailly Central Florida) owes Disney a great deal of gratitude and so much more. But yet you get a wanna-be dictator failed presidential candidate Governor, his GOP Minions, and the rest of the state NeoCons that just want to punish and make things diificult for them out of retaliation for having different Ideologies and views. Yes, Disney has its share of issues and is not perfect by all means. But treating all people fairly and equally and respecting their rights is not a bad thing.