Stronger economy, cheap gas expected to spur holiday travel
NEW YORK (AP) — A stronger economy, rising consumer confidence and cheap gasoline will likely have Americans traveling in big numbers this Independence Day.
An estimated 41.9 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home during the holiday weekend, up 0.7 percent from last year and the most since 2007, right before the recession, according to travel agency and car lobbying group AAA.
The Federal Highway Administration this week announced that Americans drove 987.8 billion miles for the first four months of the year, topping the previous record — 965.5 billion — set in 2007.