What to know about Florida holiday travel as Christmas approaches

Reporter: Asha Patel Writer: Joey Pellegrino
Published:

 

Gas prices are falling as we travel into what’s forecast to be a busy holiday season in Florida.

A lot of families are going to be packing their cars and most likely making their first stop at a gas pump before they hit the road for the Christmas weekend. Gas prices have been seen as low as $2.97 per gallon in Southwest Florida, and that’s a great number to see for holiday travelers. Monday kicked off one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, when AAA predicts 5.8 million Floridians will travel by car.

According to AAA, gas prices averaged $3.04 per gallon, the lowest daily average since September 2021. One of the most popular Christmas and New Year’s travel destinations is Orlando; it’s ranked seventh for travel destinations worldwide, according to TripAdvisor.

Wednesday is the last day of school before the break for kids in Lee and Charlotte counties, so travel is expected to pick up as we head later into the week. Collier County students, however, are officially on break already. AAA says 2022 is expected to be the third busiest year for holiday travel since the company began tracking in 2000.

Those hitting the road this week may wonder when the best and worst times to travel will be. On Friday, the best time to travel will be before 2 p.m. and after 8 p.m. If you’re driving on Saturday, the best time is before 11 a.m. and after 7 p.m., but the worst time will be between noon and 6 p.m. On Christmas Day, New year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, not much traffic is expected.

Copyright ©2024 Fort Myers Broadcasting. All rights reserved.

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed without prior written consent.