Falling gas prices factor into Maryland holiday travel plans

BALTIMORE - The second big holiday travel boom is next week and millions of Marylanders are expected to head out. AAA is seeing increases across the board in terms of how people are getting to their destination.

AAA Mid-Atlantic predicts 2.2 million will be traveling during the end-of-year holiday period, which runs from Dec. 23 to Jan. 2. About 90 percent of travelers, AAA says, will be behind the wheel, thanks to lowering gas prices.

But AAA said the biggest increase we'll see is on trains, buses, and even cruises.

Meaghan Longanecker said she'll be visiting family in Virginia and Ellicott City.

She's relieved gas prices fell at the right time.

"It's definitely a little, little Christmas, holiday bonus, I guess," Longanecker said.

AAA says gas prices are a huge factor motivating drivers.

It's only about 10 cents lower than this point last year.

However, it's the lowest they've been since October 2021.

Other big factors in favor of a road trip are Christmas and New Year's Day are on weekends this year.

Plus, remote work.

"Many people can extend their vacations, they can, once they get to a destination, still work while perhaps their family does other activities," said Ragina Ali, from AAA. "So there's certainly a lot of flexibility."

Ali told WJZ to expect an increase in travelers at train stations, bus depots and cruises.

Nearly 92,000 will travel that way, which is a 27-percent increase.

"Not that it's behind us, but people certainly feeling a little more comfortable," Ali said. "We are seeing that translate with certainly more people traveling by cruises, taking trains, and feeling much more comfortable with that now."

For many, it's about a cheaper and more convenient option.

"There's less traffic, less expensive, it's really cheap," said Maryland resident Daniel Oluwarotimi. "You know, for less than, like eight dollars, you can go from here to a place that's 40 minutes away."

More people are going to be flying this year as well.

AAA is predicting more than 121,000 are catching flights, which is a 10-percent jump from last year.

But on the roads, AAA said the worst days to drive will be Dec. 23, Dec. 27, Dec. 28 and Jan. 2.