AAA has released its travel forecast for the July 4th holiday, predicting record-breaking travel.
According to the auto club group, 46.9 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more away from home, a 5 percent increase from last year and the highest number since AAA began tracking 18 years ago.
AAA says the Independence Day holiday period is defined as Tuesday, July 3 to Sunday, July 8.
For the 39.7 million Americans planning a Fourth of July road trip, AAA says Tuesday will be the busiest day on the roads.
With that travel volume in mind, AAA has nicknamed the day "Terrible Tuesday," and is advising travelers to play it extra careful while on the road.
AAA officials say confident consumers, with some additional disposable income, are adding to what has already been a busy summer travel season.
In addition to strong economic variables, the expected increase in travelers this year is aided by Independence Day falling on a Wednesday, giving travelers more flexibility to schedule a trip that begins with the weekend before or ends with the weekend after the holiday.
AAA also notes that gas prices will be heading downward as we near the holiday, even though they will be higher that previous July 4th holiday prices.
Florida residents can expect roads to be much more congested than usual, and AAA is advising people who use major arteries that the travel time can be double what is normal.
Orlando, according to AAA, is the top destination domestically for the July 4th holiday.
People in the City Beautiful can expect visitors by plane and by ground transport to pile in for the holiday.