Santa Barbara County prepares for Fourth of July celebrations, record travel numbers expected

SANTA BARBARA COUNTY, Calif. – A record number of people in the USA are expected to travel over the coming Fourth of July holiday.

AAA estimates more than 50 million Americans are projected to travel at least 50 miles or more from home between today and next week.

Most will be hitting the roads and highways, others choosing to fly to their destinations.

If the numbers hold up, it will break the previous record of 49 million people traveling over a holiday period since 2019.

Gas prices in California and the Central Coast still hover around five dollars a gallon.

Record travel is expected across the country over the Fourth of July weekend this year, with more than 50 million Americans projected to travel at least 50 miles from home, according to AAA. 

The organization said in a Tuesday release the 50.7 million people expected to travel 50 miles or more would surpass the record of 49 million people traveling in 2019. AAA also projects records for the number of people traveling by car, with 43.2 million expected to do so, a 2.4 percent increase from last year.