Traffic & Transit

Charlotte Holiday Travel Traffic Jams 2019: Worst Times To Drive

The holiday season might be a joyous time, but it can quickly be ruined by traffic. Here's how to avoid the worst of the busy roads.

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Kimberly Johnson, Patch StaffVerified Patch Staff Badge

CHARLOTTE, NC — 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.

Here’s the information you need to know for holiday related travel:

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  • Worst Day to Travel: Dec. 26
  • Peak Congestion Period: between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m.

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.

SEE ALSO: Holiday Travel: Violations NC Troopers Are Looking For This Year

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“With kids out of school and many Americans taking extended time off for the holidays, drivers will experience only incremental delays throughout the week,” Trevor Reed, a transportation analyst at INRIX, a private analytics company, said in a news release. “Although congestion will be lighter than normal. Knowing when and where major delays will likely happen will help save time and reduce stress this holiday season.”

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

A recent analysis by the 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 2020, 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

And from all of us here at Patch, have a happy holiday.

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