AAA Mid-Atlantic projects the number of Virginians traveling during the July Fourth holiday will drop when compared to the 2007 holiday. This is the second consecutive travel holiday in 2008 where a year-to-year decrease was forecasted, and this drop is consistent with the national trend which also shows that more Americans will celebrate the holiday at home. AAA estimates that over one million Virginians will travel 50 miles or more from home this holiday, a decrease of nearly three percent compared to the 2007 July 4th holiday.

Approximately 887,000 Virginians (87.4 percent of all Virginia holiday travelers) are expected to travel by automobile, a 2.5 percent decrease from a year ago. In addition, over 84,800 Virginians (8.4 percent of all Virginia holiday travelers) plan to fly this holiday weekend; an increase of nearly 1 percent from those who took to the skies last year. Another 42,500 Virginians intend to travel by train, bus or other mode of transportation.

“Fewer Virginians will be traveling this July 4th holiday due to soaring gas prices, higher airfares coupled with fewer flights and seats, and general concerns about the economy,” said Windy VanCuren, Public Affairs Specialist for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “Despite the decrease, however, a significant number of Virginians will still travel this holiday. Over 13 percent of the Commonwealth’s population will be celebrating the July 4th holiday away from home.”

Across the Commonwealth, motorists driving to their holiday destinations will continue to encounter high gasoline prices. The Virginia average for self-serve regular is $3.98 a gallon. That is nine cents more than one month ago and $1.16 more than this time last year.

Gas Prices as of July 1, 2008, for a gallon of self-serve regular gasoline:

“Just over half of all holiday travelers plan to stay within 250 miles of their home over the upcoming holiday, most likely as a result of high gas prices and other costs of travel,” noted VanCuren. “Only 31% plan to travel 1,000 miles or more from home.”

For those Virginians hitting the roadways, however, the increased gas expense this year may be surprisingly low as compared to last July 4th. A round trip from Richmond to Virginia Beach or Washington, DC, for example, will cost approximately $12 more this year than last. Those going to Nags Head, NC can expect to pay $20 more for the trip. Travelers heading all the way to Myrtle Beach or New York City will be paying approximately $38 more for gas.

Research for Memorial Day weekend holiday travel projections are derived from Travel Industry Association (TIA)’s Holiday Travel Forecast Model. The model was developed based on consumer travel intentions and TIA’s quarterly travel forecast data. The travel intentions data are collected through an online survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults nationwide.

AAA Mid-Atlantic serves nearly 835,000 members in the Commonwealth of Virginia and is the nation’s fifth largest auto club with more than 3.8 million members in Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Virginia. It provides a wide range of personal insurance, travel, financial and automotive services through its 50-plus retail branches, regional operations centers, and the Internet. For more information on AAA Mid-Atlantic, please visit our web site at www.AAA.com.

The preceding was compiled from an AAA Mid-Atlantic news release.