Fewer Americans Expected to Travel for July 4

By Sonia Su

Due to a shorter holiday period this year, fewer Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more during the Independence Day holiday compared to 2012, according to AAA's Independence Day travel forecast.

"This projection is due to the calendar effect of one fewer day in the holiday period and economic growth that is not robust enough to offset the impact of the sequester and the effect of the end of the payroll tax cut on American families," AAA President and CEO Robert L. Darbelnet said in a statement.

Despite the decline, July 3 and 7 will be the busiest travel days, with 46 percent of expected travelers beginning their trip before the holiday compared to 65 percent last year, according to AAA.

AAA Travel also predicts a .7-percent decrease in automobile travel, but gas prices are unlikely to be the major factor.

"Despite the slight increase compared to last year, prices remain below their highs of earlier this year," the release states.

However, air travel is expected to increase slightly from 3.06 million travelers to 3.07 million, an eight percent increase.

"Independence Day is typically the busiest holiday of the summer travel season with six million more Americans traveling than Memorial Day just two months ago," Darbelnet says. "The Fourth of July benefits from the fact that all schools across the nation are out of session, making it truly a time for family fun."