PORTLAND, Ore. — Oregonians planning to hit the road next week for Independence Day should prepare for heavy traffic. AAA is predicting record-level travel during the holiday season, with an estimated 70.9 million Americans expected to travel at least 50 miles from Saturday, June 29 to Sunday, July 7, including about 862,000 Oregonians.
A nationwide total of 67.4 million travelers made last year's July Fourth season the first to exceed the pre-pandemic figure of 65.2 million travelers in 2019. The national forecast for this year represents a 5% increase over 2023 and an 8% increase over 2019, according to AAA's forecast.
About 60.6 million of this year's travelers will be going by car, including about 676,000 Oregonians. Another 5.7 million people — 122,500 in Oregon — will fly. The AAA report urges travelers to check in 24 hours ahead of flights and plan for long security lines at airports.
The AAA forecast predicts heavy traffic congestion on the roads every day from July 2 to July 8, and conditions will tend to be at their worst in the afternoon. The report recommends leaving before noon or before 10 a.m., depending on the day.
In Oregon, Portlanders heading to Eugene or Hood River are likely to see the worst congestion, according to AAA, with travel time to Eugene expected to rise by about 35% and time to Hood River expected to jump by 30%. The increase in travel time will generally be worse for return trips, according to the report, and drivers coming back from John Day in particular should expect to encounter much more traffic than on the drive out.
Cost of travel
There is a silver lining for travelers battling the lines this year: most travel-related expenses are expected to be about the same or a bit lower than last summer, according to AAA, especially for travelers who are staying in the United States.
Domestic flights are about 2% cheaper than last year, domestic car rentals are about 16% cheaper, cruises departing from domestic cities are 24% cheaper and tours in domestic cities are 21% cheaper. The big exception is hotels, which are 17% more expensive domestically and 14% more expensive internationally. International flights are also up 7%, although international car rentals, cruise departures are city tours are all still a bit cheaper.
Current gas prices are also a tad lower than last year nationwide, and the gap is larger in Oregon. The national average is currently $3.50 per gallon and the Oregon average is $4.07 per gallon, compared with $3.53 per gallon nationally and $4.64 per gallon in Oregon on July 4, 2023 — although AAA expects prices to rise in the days leading up to July Fourth.
Portland's prices are the highest in the state with an average of $4.19 per gallon, according to the latest AAA report, with other major Oregon cities ranging from about $3.87 to $4.11 per gallon.
Nationwide prices have fallen a bit this month after a usual spring surge, according to AAA, and Oregon prices have been holding fairly steady. Oregon's prices remain higher than the national average, but that's essentially always the case due to the west coast's geography.
