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Best and worst times to travel July 4th weekend

Heavy traffic is seen at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on May 27, 2021 in Los Angeles, as people travel for Memorial Day weekend, which marks the unofficial start of the summer travel season. - (Photo by FREDERIC J. BROWN/AFP via Getty Images)

HOUSTON (KIAH) — It’s a fun feeling to be able to travel this Independence Day holiday weekend, especially after over a year of quarantine. However, we’re not exactly back to normal, and there are a few things to consider.

How many expected to be on U.S. roadways July 4th weekend:

For one, remember you will be sharing a lot of roads as people hit the highways for a holiday adventure.  A new poll from The Vacationer found that 132 million Americans, or 51%, will travel this weekend. Overall, it’s expected to be the biggest weekend of travel since at least Christmas of 2019.


AAA released traffic data, which found many Americans started traveling Thursday. About 47.7 million Americans are planning to travel between July 1 – July 5, AAA estimates.

As for highways, 46.3 million people are expected to embark on holiday road trips. Roads will be crammed Thursday and Friday afternoon. Saturday be will particularly busy between 11:00 A.M. and 1:00 P.M. 

The best times to hit the road for the July 4th holiday are:
Worst times to hit the road for the July 4th holiday are:

When traveling back home, experts recommend avoiding travel late Monday afternoon between 4:00 P.M. and 5:00 P.M.