Community Corner
Despite Sandy, NJ Travel to Remain Steady
AAA New Jersey predicts about 1 million residents of the Garden State will travel 50 miles or more this holiday weekend.
About one million N.J. residents and 43.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving weekend, AAA New Jersey predicts.
The impact of Hurricane Sandy is still uncertain, especially in the mid-Atlantic and northeast regions.
Cathleen Lewis, the director of Public Affairs for AAA New Jersey, said, "While many residents [of New Jersey] may cancel travel plans, many others may change travel plans to accommodate or assist displaced friends and family."
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How will we get there?
Sandy may influence how New Jerseyans will travel this holiday. As Lewis said, "Rental cars have become a coveted commodity by those who lost vehicles in the storm.”
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AAA recommends confirming any existing reservations for a rental car with the agency.
Others are also looking away from the highways when making their travel plans. According to AAA, there was an increase of over 10 percent in travel other than car or air this holiday.
"This comes at the same time as Americans are looking for ways to economize budgets. Median spending is expected to drop 10 percent and the average distance fell to 588 miles, down from 706 miles last year," Lewis wrote in a press statement.
The chart below shows how Americans and New Jerseyans will travel this Thanksgiving. The information included is provided by AAA.
a decrease of 0.1 percent
39.1 million people (90 percent of holiday travelers) a 0.6 percent increase Air 90,934 (8.1 percent of travelers) a decrease of 2.4 percent 3.14 million leisure travelers (7 percent of holiday travelers) a decrease of of 1.7 percent Train, Bus, Watercraft or Multi-Modal Travel
24,956 (2.2 percent of travelers) an increase of 10.8 percent
1.2 million travelers (2.7% of all travelers) an increase of 10 percent
How will this impact the price of gas?
Gasoline will likely fall to between $3.25 and $3.40 per gallon this Thanksgiving, which will make the price similar to the $3.32 per gallon from Thanksgiving 2011. According to AAA, that was the most expensive average gas price ever on Thanksgiving.
The average nationwide price of gas for Thanksgiving 2007 through Thanksgiving 2011 was $2.75, AAA said.
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