June 20, 2025 • 8 mins
The Independence Day holiday week is expected to produce new travel records. We speak with Mark Jenkins of AAA Auto Club Group, about what to prepare for, whether you're traveling by land, air, or sea.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. July fourth is approaching,
and that means for Americans and Floridians, a lot of
us travel and many of us will be on the
roads and in the skies, and in fact, we're expected
to set records this year. We've got Mark Jenkins on
the line from Triple A Auto Club group based in
Tampa to talk about what we can expect if we're
(00:21):
traveling on the fourth of July. Mark Jenkins, welcome in
to Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Gordon, how's it going great to be here?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Yes? You So, you're predicting at Triple A another increase in
travel nationally and I take it again, some record setting numbers.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Record setting numbers for Independence Day.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
And this is for basically a two weekend period starting Saturday,
June twenty eighth and running through Sunday, July sixth, just
after the holiday. We're looking at seventy two point two
million Americans traveling nationwide. That's two point four percent more
than last year, amounting to about one point seven million
more travelers. So more travelers on the road, more travelers
(01:00):
at the airport, basically anywhere you're going, expect more.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
So you know, for us.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
We're just you know, it's an opportunity for people just
to it's a reminder that you want to plan ahead,
leave early, allow yourself extra time to get to where
you need to go. Expect longer lines because a lot
of folks are going to be traveling during this time, and.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
The travel numbers you have for Florida, you're predicting pretty
much the same thing, maybe even more so.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Yeah, I mean definitely not not quite as many nations
as nationwide, of course, but definitely more than last year.
Four point six million Floridians hitting the road, the skies,
the rails. Just driving alone is almost as almost represents
the total number. Four million people are going to be driving.
That's one hundred and twenty seven thousand more than last year.
(01:49):
So you can certainly expect more congestion out there on
the roads, the longer lines. At the airport's three hundred
and thirty thousand Floridians are going to be flying, that's
up one percent from last year, about four thousand more
air traveler. And then other modes of transportation talking trains, buses,
cruising two hundred and four thousand Floridians. That doesn't even
capture the number of people who are traveling from other
(02:10):
states doesn't even include the people who are in These
numbers overall don't capture the number of people who are
traveling for business or internationally. So you have to take
those qualifiers and add them as well. That packs a
recipe for just so many people out there at the airports,
on the roads.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
So it's going to be extremely busy.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Now, let's start with driving. Since so many people are
doing that, can we expect of course, one of the
first things we would do is get gas and can
you expect some volatility with the Middle East situation at
the pump?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
You know, it's interesting, you know, last week, whenever we
started hearing tensions escalate, oil prices jumped quite a bit
and gas prices responded. And that's to be expected because
anytime you see is significant increase and mode prices, there
is that trickle down effect to the price of the pump.
It seems like oil prices may have come back down some,
(03:06):
but with this conflict seemingly continuing, if they things intensify
to a degree the where you see oil prices spike again,
then I would expect gas prices to shoot up in
the lead up to Independence State.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
So we're just gonna need to wait and see.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
The good news though, is that compared to the years past,
gas prices have been lower. They're about forty cents per
gallon less than what we were paying for Independence State
last year, and a lot of that is due to
oil prices being lower. When you're taking a look at
the global picture, there is a lot more oil on
the market because of other countries ramping up their production levels.
(03:43):
You also have concerns about the economy that has crept
into the oil market, making some concern that there might
not be as much demand out there. So that has
created an environment for lower oil prices that as a
result lower gas prices too. But again so depending on
the conflict of things intensified, then you could see prices increase,
(04:05):
probably not beyond what we were paying a year ago. Though.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
With all these people on the roads, what are the
best and worst times to be driving?
Speaker 3 (04:12):
So the worst time to be out there is going
to be in the afternoon and early evening hours, So
that's going to be when you have that combination of
travelers meeting with people who are just driving to and
from work. So the best advice is going to be
to leave early in the morning before noon or later
at night after eight o'clock.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
We would expect the.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Busiest days out on the road to be Wednesday, July
second and Sunday, July sixth.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Now, if you're flying, is there still time to get
a deal if you haven't booked your seat yet, Well.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
So we're a couple of weeks out from the holiday,
maybe less time depending on when we're listening to this,
but you know, if you haven't booked yet, you're running
out of time. And with so many people traveling, we're
looking at record breaking air travel numbers, it might be
difficult to find the perfect flight for you. If you're
looking to go to a specific place at a specific time,
(05:06):
you might not have a seat, so you might need
to be flexible. But if you're looking at days where
there are fewer people flying, like let's say middle of
the week Tuesday, Wednesday, that might be your sweet spot
for finding a discount if the discount is available, But
you just need to move fast because again availability it
(05:27):
continues to shrink by the day, and the longer you wait,
the less availability, the higher the price.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
What are some of the top travel destinations this year,
both inside and outside the US.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah, so a lot of the destinations that have beaches
or cruise ports are in high demand right now. Orlando
of course is number one because it has the theme parks.
But then you look at Seattle that has that's kind
of the gateway to Alaska, which is.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Just huge right now for cruising.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
In fact, cruises for Alaska even into next year are
already booking up very strong. So if you have any
interest in visiting the Last Frontier, this is and this
is the time you need to start making those plans
if you want a cruise next year. Additionally, you know Honolulu, Denver,
here in Florida the top destinations, or Orlando for at
(06:16):
Lauderdale and Miami. Of course, Tampa might probably just off
that top ten list, you know, with some of the
world's most beautiful beaches right here in Clearwater area. Internationally,
you're looking at Vancouver, Rome, Paris, London, Barcelona, just to
name a few.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Now, looking at that list, I see you've got Seattle,
You've got Anchorage, and you've got Vancouver. And I know
Vancouver has a lot of attractions of its own, but
I'm thinking all three of those are tied in somehow
to the popularity of those Alaska cruises at this time
of year.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, most definitely, And that gets back to what I
was talking about. Alaska cruises are extremely popular and and
these are kind of that gateway to that port to
allow you to go cruise and see Alaska so beautiful
destinations in their own right, and then you add to that,
you know, just towering glaciers, beautiful wildlife. Alaska cruises are
(07:11):
just you know, something that that everyone probably has to
see at some point in their life, and that that
speaks to the popularity of it, and again all the
more reason that we're seeing them book up so quickly,
not just in here in twenty twenty five, but already
into well into next year as well.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
All Right, to wrap it up, any tips that people
might want to keep in mind driving, flying, or any
other mode of transportation.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, it's something that we've been saying for the past month.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Crashes hit different when they happen to you, And if
you've been in a crash, then you know exactly what
I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
The I mean, you know, I was I was.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Hit from behind while at a stoplight, and now every
time I go up to a stoplight, I'm looking in
that mirror hoping that person coming up behind me stops.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Every single year, forty thousand people.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Are killed on our roadways, and a lot of those
fatalities are one of the fourth Seat belts distract.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
The driving, impaired driving, or speeding.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
So you know, sometimes people can overlook or underestimate the
risk of some of these risky driving habits.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
We just urge you not to take them lightly when
you're on the.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Roads this weekend or during the holiday, just please remember
to slow down, buckle up, don't drive distracted, and never
drive impaired.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Mark Jenkins with Triple A Auto Club group talking with
us about the Fourth of July travel outlook, and we
wish everybody a good Independence Day and hope that if
you travel someplace, you have a good time and get
back safely
Gordon Bird here with Beyond the News. July fourth is approaching,
and that means for Americans and Floridians, a lot of
us travel and many of us will be on the
roads and in the skies, and in fact, we're expected
to set records this year. We've got Mark Jenkins on
the line from Triple A Auto Club group based in
Tampa to talk about what we can expect if we're
(00:21):
traveling on the fourth of July. Mark Jenkins, welcome in
to Beyond the News.
Speaker 2 (00:25):
Gordon, how's it going great to be here?
Speaker 1 (00:27):
Yes? You So, you're predicting at Triple A another increase in
travel nationally and I take it again, some record setting numbers.
Speaker 2 (00:35):
Record setting numbers for Independence Day.
Speaker 3 (00:37):
And this is for basically a two weekend period starting Saturday,
June twenty eighth and running through Sunday, July sixth, just
after the holiday. We're looking at seventy two point two
million Americans traveling nationwide. That's two point four percent more
than last year, amounting to about one point seven million
more travelers. So more travelers on the road, more travelers
(01:00):
at the airport, basically anywhere you're going, expect more.
Speaker 2 (01:04):
So you know, for us.
Speaker 3 (01:06):
We're just you know, it's an opportunity for people just
to it's a reminder that you want to plan ahead,
leave early, allow yourself extra time to get to where
you need to go. Expect longer lines because a lot
of folks are going to be traveling during this time, and.
Speaker 1 (01:22):
The travel numbers you have for Florida, you're predicting pretty
much the same thing, maybe even more so.
Speaker 3 (01:27):
Yeah, I mean definitely not not quite as many nations
as nationwide, of course, but definitely more than last year.
Four point six million Floridians hitting the road, the skies,
the rails. Just driving alone is almost as almost represents
the total number. Four million people are going to be driving.
That's one hundred and twenty seven thousand more than last year.
(01:49):
So you can certainly expect more congestion out there on
the roads, the longer lines. At the airport's three hundred
and thirty thousand Floridians are going to be flying, that's
up one percent from last year, about four thousand more
air traveler. And then other modes of transportation talking trains, buses,
cruising two hundred and four thousand Floridians. That doesn't even
capture the number of people who are traveling from other
(02:10):
states doesn't even include the people who are in These
numbers overall don't capture the number of people who are
traveling for business or internationally. So you have to take
those qualifiers and add them as well. That packs a
recipe for just so many people out there at the airports,
on the roads.
Speaker 2 (02:29):
So it's going to be extremely busy.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Now, let's start with driving. Since so many people are
doing that, can we expect of course, one of the
first things we would do is get gas and can
you expect some volatility with the Middle East situation at
the pump?
Speaker 3 (02:44):
You know, it's interesting, you know, last week, whenever we
started hearing tensions escalate, oil prices jumped quite a bit
and gas prices responded. And that's to be expected because
anytime you see is significant increase and mode prices, there
is that trickle down effect to the price of the pump.
It seems like oil prices may have come back down some,
(03:06):
but with this conflict seemingly continuing, if they things intensify
to a degree the where you see oil prices spike again,
then I would expect gas prices to shoot up in
the lead up to Independence State.
Speaker 2 (03:20):
So we're just gonna need to wait and see.
Speaker 3 (03:22):
The good news though, is that compared to the years past,
gas prices have been lower. They're about forty cents per
gallon less than what we were paying for Independence State
last year, and a lot of that is due to
oil prices being lower. When you're taking a look at
the global picture, there is a lot more oil on
the market because of other countries ramping up their production levels.
(03:43):
You also have concerns about the economy that has crept
into the oil market, making some concern that there might
not be as much demand out there. So that has
created an environment for lower oil prices that as a
result lower gas prices too. But again so depending on
the conflict of things intensified, then you could see prices increase,
(04:05):
probably not beyond what we were paying a year ago. Though.
Speaker 1 (04:08):
With all these people on the roads, what are the
best and worst times to be driving?
Speaker 3 (04:12):
So the worst time to be out there is going
to be in the afternoon and early evening hours, So
that's going to be when you have that combination of
travelers meeting with people who are just driving to and
from work. So the best advice is going to be
to leave early in the morning before noon or later
at night after eight o'clock.
Speaker 2 (04:30):
We would expect the.
Speaker 3 (04:31):
Busiest days out on the road to be Wednesday, July
second and Sunday, July sixth.
Speaker 1 (04:39):
Now, if you're flying, is there still time to get
a deal if you haven't booked your seat yet, Well.
Speaker 3 (04:45):
So we're a couple of weeks out from the holiday,
maybe less time depending on when we're listening to this,
but you know, if you haven't booked yet, you're running
out of time. And with so many people traveling, we're
looking at record breaking air travel numbers, it might be
difficult to find the perfect flight for you. If you're
looking to go to a specific place at a specific time,
(05:06):
you might not have a seat, so you might need
to be flexible. But if you're looking at days where
there are fewer people flying, like let's say middle of
the week Tuesday, Wednesday, that might be your sweet spot
for finding a discount if the discount is available, But
you just need to move fast because again availability it
(05:27):
continues to shrink by the day, and the longer you wait,
the less availability, the higher the price.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
What are some of the top travel destinations this year,
both inside and outside the US.
Speaker 3 (05:37):
Yeah, so a lot of the destinations that have beaches
or cruise ports are in high demand right now. Orlando
of course is number one because it has the theme parks.
But then you look at Seattle that has that's kind
of the gateway to Alaska, which is.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
Just huge right now for cruising.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
In fact, cruises for Alaska even into next year are
already booking up very strong. So if you have any
interest in visiting the Last Frontier, this is and this
is the time you need to start making those plans
if you want a cruise next year. Additionally, you know Honolulu, Denver,
here in Florida the top destinations, or Orlando for at
(06:16):
Lauderdale and Miami. Of course, Tampa might probably just off
that top ten list, you know, with some of the
world's most beautiful beaches right here in Clearwater area. Internationally,
you're looking at Vancouver, Rome, Paris, London, Barcelona, just to
name a few.
Speaker 1 (06:31):
Now, looking at that list, I see you've got Seattle,
You've got Anchorage, and you've got Vancouver. And I know
Vancouver has a lot of attractions of its own, but
I'm thinking all three of those are tied in somehow
to the popularity of those Alaska cruises at this time
of year.
Speaker 3 (06:46):
Yeah, most definitely, And that gets back to what I
was talking about. Alaska cruises are extremely popular and and
these are kind of that gateway to that port to
allow you to go cruise and see Alaska so beautiful
destinations in their own right, and then you add to that,
you know, just towering glaciers, beautiful wildlife. Alaska cruises are
(07:11):
just you know, something that that everyone probably has to
see at some point in their life, and that that
speaks to the popularity of it, and again all the
more reason that we're seeing them book up so quickly,
not just in here in twenty twenty five, but already
into well into next year as well.
Speaker 1 (07:25):
All Right, to wrap it up, any tips that people
might want to keep in mind driving, flying, or any
other mode of transportation.
Speaker 2 (07:32):
Yeah, it's something that we've been saying for the past month.
Speaker 3 (07:35):
Crashes hit different when they happen to you, And if
you've been in a crash, then you know exactly what
I'm talking about.
Speaker 2 (07:40):
The I mean, you know, I was I was.
Speaker 3 (07:44):
Hit from behind while at a stoplight, and now every
time I go up to a stoplight, I'm looking in
that mirror hoping that person coming up behind me stops.
Speaker 2 (07:53):
Every single year, forty thousand people.
Speaker 3 (07:55):
Are killed on our roadways, and a lot of those
fatalities are one of the fourth Seat belts distract.
Speaker 2 (08:01):
The driving, impaired driving, or speeding.
Speaker 3 (08:04):
So you know, sometimes people can overlook or underestimate the
risk of some of these risky driving habits.
Speaker 2 (08:14):
We just urge you not to take them lightly when
you're on the.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
Roads this weekend or during the holiday, just please remember
to slow down, buckle up, don't drive distracted, and never
drive impaired.
Speaker 1 (08:25):
Mark Jenkins with Triple A Auto Club group talking with
us about the Fourth of July travel outlook, and we
wish everybody a good Independence Day and hope that if
you travel someplace, you have a good time and get
back safely
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