July 4 Will Be The Busiest Summer Weekend For American Travelers This Year, Study Says

July 4 Will Be The Busiest Summer Weekend For American Travelers This Year

The Fourth of July, also known as Independence Day, has been a federal holiday celebration since 1941, but the tradition dates back to the American Revolution in the 18th century.

It’s expected to be no different this year, with a recent survey predicting it will be the busiest of summer weekends.

According to Vacasa, a vacation rental company, nearly half of the 1,000 people surveyed said they will be traveling somewhere in the United States for July 4.

According to T+L, 31 percent of people plan a trip for Memorial Day and 25 percent of travelers plan a weekend getaway for Labor Day.

“Based on our survey results, we anticipate that holiday weekends — and Fourth of July in particular — will be high-demand travel periods this summer with nearly half of U.S. travelers planning to take a trip,” said Natalia Sutin, the VP of revenue management at Vacasa.

Travelers will flock to the shores of Ocean City, Md. and Bethany Beach, Del. during those weekends, according to Vacasa, which lists some of the most-wanted destinations for the July 1-4 period.

Also popular are the Gulf coasts of Florida and Alabama, as well as the Outer Banks in North Carolina, Cape Cod in Massachusetts and the Oregon coast.

Travelers are also looking for accommodations in Destin, Florida; Ocean City, Massachusetts; and Holden Beach, North Carolina, for Memorial Day weekend.

“For those looking to get away over any of the long holiday weekends, we recommend booking [accommodations] sooner rather than later, especially if you’re interested in a larger vacation rental,” she said. “Larger homes tend to book up earlier, which makes sense when you consider the advance planning that goes into extended family or group trips.”

A similar boom occurred in the country last year. On the Friday before July 4, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) saw 1.9 million travelers pass through its airport checkpoints, the highest volume since the first week of March 2020.