Less July 4 Travel Expected, AAA Says

The number of Southern Californians embarking on getaways this Independence Day weekend is predicted to decline by 2.3 percent compared to last year, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

The drop in numbers is due to fewer plans to road trip, experts said.

"High gas prices this spring have started to impact travel, but the good news for consumers is that gas prices are continuing to drop and more vacation bargains are being offered this summer because travel providers have available space they need to fill,” said Filomena Andre, the Auto Club’s vice president for travel products and services, in a statement Monday. 

Seventy-nine percent of Southern California travelers this weekend (2.29 million) are expected to drive to their destinations, which is a 2.9 percent decrease from last year’s 2.36 million car travelers.

About 337,000 travelers are expected to fly, which is a 1.7 percent increase from last year, according to the Auto Club.

Overall, nearly 2.9 million Southern California residents are expected to travel 50 miles or more during the Fourth of July weekend. Last year, 2.97 million were recorded traveling during the holiday (which was a 38.6 percent increase compared to travel numbers in 2009.) 

“Last year we saw a big return of the summer vacation among our members and this year started out well for travel bookings also,” Andre said.

According to a poll of Auto Club travel agents, the top destinations this weekend for Southern California travelers are:

1. San Diego
2. Las Vegas
3. San Francisco
4. Central Coast (Santa Barbara to Monterey)
5. Orange County—Disneyland