Community Corner

40 Million Hit the Road on the Fourth of July

Are you going away for the Fourth of July holiday?

If you are planning to get away for the Fourth of July holiday, you aren't alone.

More than 40 million people are projected to travel away from their homes (50 miles or more) during the coming holiday weekend, according to a release from AAA.

40 million (40.8, to be exact) is a big projection, but it is by no means the biggest. The figure represents a .8 percent drop from 2012, wen 41.1 million people traveled away from home.

Find out what's happening in Perkiomen Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

AAA experts say the decline is due to the holiday weekend being a "five-day holiday" this year, instead of a "six-day holiday" like the Fourth of July was in 2012.

The holiday will fall on a Thursday this year.

Find out what's happening in Perkiomen Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“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," Jenny Robinson, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA, said in a release.

AAA says that people are planning to get away in the following ways:

  • 57 percent of travelers will be visiting friends
  • 36 percent are going on tours or sightseeing trips
  • 36 percent are going to the beach
  • 28 percent plan to visit national or state parks

Of course, if you aren't planning to leave the area, there is plenty going on around here.

Patch wants to know: What are your plans for the Fourth of July? Are you taking a trip somewhere? Planning to get far out of the area? Staying close to home? Share you plans with your neighbors in the comments.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here