Maryland Holiday Travel Traffic Jams 2019: Worst Times To Drive

MARYLAND — Christmas is right around the corner, and planning the logistics of holiday travel can leave you feeling stressed. Patch is here to help.

The American Automobile Association has identified the worst times to leave for your holiday road trip so you can avoid the jams.

More Americans than ever recorded, 115.6 million of them, are expected to travel this holiday season, from Saturday, Dec. 21, through Wednesday, Jan. 1. It’s an increase of 3.9 percent from 2018, or 4.3 million more people taking their holiday plans on the road, according to the automobile association.

Here’s the information you need to know for holiday related travel in the D.C. area:

• Worst Day to Travel: Thursday, Dec. 26
• Peak Congestion Period: 4–6 p.m.
• Delay Multiplier: 3 times more congested

The American Automobile Association made its holiday travel projections based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Markit, a London-based business information provider.

Air Travel Bookings Spiked On Sunday

A recent analysis by AAA also found that Dec. 22 will be the single busiest air travel day during the holiday week, with travelers having to spend an average of $593-$639 on a single ticket.

Here are the 10 most popular holiday destinations of 2019, which are based on American Automobile Association travel bookings.

1. Orlando, Florida
2. Anaheim, California
3. Honolulu, Hawaii
4. Kahului, Hawaii
5. Las Vegas, Nevada
6. Lauderdale, Florida
7. New York, New York
8. Miami, Florida
9. Tampa, Florida
10. Phoenix, Arizona

— By Gus Saltonstall and Elizabeth Janney