GOOD EVENING. MARRIED. There are about 160,000 students in Boston, and it seemed for a while today that a good portion of them were here in Logan, eager to get out of town for the holidays. MEANWHILE, OTHERS ARE WELCOME TO US. MOTHERS AND FATHERS WAIT IN LOGAN WITH WARM HUGS AS STUDENTS ARRIVE HOME, SOME OF THEM FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MONTHS. I'm really excited, you know, to have a month off. WHAT HAVE YOU PLANNED FOR YOUR FIRST TIME AT HOME? TIME WITH FAMILY AND FRIENDS AND HOME COOKED MEALS. THE BACKPACKS ARE FILLED WITH GIFTS AND CLOTHES. Maybe not everything is washed. SOME DEPARTURE STUDENTS ARE HAPPY TO LEAVE NOT ONLY THE BOOKS, BUT ALSO THE WEATHER. FINALLY, AWAY FROM BOSTON WINTER. ARE YOU HAPPY TO GET AWAY FROM BOSTON FOR A LITTLE TIME? YES, I THINK IT'S A LITTLE TOO COLD. The Babson College women's basketball team is taking a quick detour for a few games in Nashville. BUT AS SOON AS THEY RETURNED, FRESHMAN ALYSSA MENDOZA WENT HOME TO YONKERS, NEW YORK. We usually all cook dinner together and decorate the Christmas tree. So yeah, it's going to be a lot of fun. WILL YOU WAIT TO DECORATE THE TREE UNTIL YOU GET HOME? YEAH THEY ARE. HAVE YOU MADE THIS REQUEST? YES, I did it. CLASSES ACTUALLY END ON THE 21st. So you sneak in a little early, you don't worry about crowds and weather and possible delays between here and his house in Washington? Rose Nashua decided that Umass Lowell could finish the semester without her ending the semester on the 21st. When Christmas is on the 25th, that's absolutely crazy, but I made sure to get all my work done, so I'm good. A New Hampshire student returning from the University of Louisiana today said she had forgotten what winters were like here in New England. She got out of Logan and shivered, saying those 57 degree temperatures were, inside her.
Vacation Travel Tips: 120 Million Americans Expected to Travel This Season
Updated: 7:55 p.m. EST, December 17, 2024
Holiday travel is expected to reach records during the last two weeks of December and early January. “Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday this year, which puts the weekend before and after the holiday into play for travelers,” said Mark, a spokesperson for AAA Northeast. Schieldrop, senior spokesperson, AAA Northeast. “We continue to see travel demand skyrocket this time of year as Americans visit family and friends and discover new destinations.” AAA projects that nearly 120 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more between December 21 and January 1. 90% will take the wheel, but air travel is expected to reach a record high of 7.85 million passengers. Large numbers of people on trains, buses and cruises are also expected. “The holiday is actually two weeks long, whereas we were more condensed over the Thanksgiving holiday,” said AAA's Stacey Barber. “So you will see heavier traffic, but these will not be periods of high concentration, except for the weekends before Christmas and New Year.” For those traveling by car, AAA and transportation data company INRIX predict the worst traffic during the weekends leading up to Christmas Day. and New Year's Day. Road travel forecasts (AAA and INRIX) Thursday, December 19: worst travel time between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., best travel time before 11 a.m. Friday, December 20: Worst travel time 1 p.m. to 8 p.m., best travel time before 11 a.m. Saturday, December 21: worst travel time 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., best travel time before 2 p.m. Sunday, December 22: worst travel time 3 p.m. to 8 p.m., best travel time before noon Monday, December 23: worst travel time between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., best travel time before 11 a.m. Tuesday December 24: minimal impact on traffic expected. December 25: minimal impact on traffic expected. Thursday, December 26: Worst travel time from noon to 5 p.m., best travel time before 11 a.m. Friday, December 27: Worst travel time from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m., best travel time before 2 p.m. Saturday December 28. : Worst travel time 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Best travel time Before 11 p.m. Sunday, December 29: Worst travel time Noon to 6 p.m., Best travel time Before 11 p.m. Monday, December 30: Worst travel time 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., best travel time journey before 2 p.m. Tuesday, December 31: minimal impact on traffic expected Wednesday, January 1: minimal impact on traffic expected Thursday, January 2: worst weather journey 4 p.m.-8 p.m., best travel time Before 3 p.m. If you're flying, experts recommend trying to catch the first flight of the day. In fact, flights after 9 a.m. are twice as likely to be delayed. Also try to arrange airport services like parking before you arrive to avoid any last-minute surprises. If possible, experts suggest building a buffer day into your itinerary and purchasing travel insurance in case of delays. In Boston, busy holiday air travel will cap a record year for Boston Logan International Airport. Massport expects to surpass 43 million passengers passing through the airport on Tuesday.
Holiday travel is expected to reach records during the last two weeks of December and early January.
“Christmas Day falls on a Wednesday this year, which puts the weekend before and after the holiday into play for travelers,” said Mark Schieldrop, senior spokesperson for AAA Northeast. “We continue to see travel demand skyrocket this time of year, as Americans visit family and friends and discover new destinations.”
AAA projects that nearly 120 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more between December 21 and January 1. Nearly 90% of them will drive, but air travel is expected to reach a record 7.85 million passengers.
Crowds are also expected to flock to trains, buses and cruises.
“The holiday is actually two weeks long, whereas we were more condensed over the Thanksgiving holiday,” said AAA's Stacey Barber. “So you will see more intense traffic, but it will not be in periods of high concentration, except the weekends before Christmas and New Year.”
For those traveling by car, AAA and transportation data firm INRIX predict the worst traffic during the weekends before Christmas and New Year's Day.
Road travel forecasts (AAA and INRIX)
- Thursday, December 19: worst travel time between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., best travel time before 11 a.m.
- Friday, December 20: worst travel time between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m., best travel time before 11 a.m.
- Saturday December 21: worst travel time between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., best travel time before 2 p.m.
- Sunday, December 22: worst travel time 3-8 p.m., best travel time before noon
- Monday December 23: worst travel time between 1 p.m. and 6 p.m., best travel time before 11 a.m.
- Tuesday December 24: minimal impact on traffic expected
- Wednesday December 25: minimal impact on traffic expected
- Thursday, December 26: Worst commute time Noon to 5 p.m., Best commute time Before 11 a.m.
- Friday December 27: worst travel time between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., best travel time before 2 p.m.
- Saturday December 28: worst travel time 1:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., best travel time before 11 p.m.
- Sunday, December 29: worst travel time between noon and 6 p.m., best travel time before 11 p.m.
- Monday December 30: worst travel time between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., best travel time before 2 p.m.
- Tuesday December 31: minimal impact on traffic expected
- Wednesday January 1: minimal impact on traffic expected
- Thursday January 2: worst travel time between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m., best travel time before 3 p.m.
If you're flying, experts recommend trying to catch the first flight of the day. In fact, flights after 9 a.m. are twice as likely to be delayed.
Also try to arrange airport services like parking before you arrive to avoid any last-minute surprises.
If possible, experts suggest building a buffer day into your itinerary and purchasing travel insurance in case you encounter any delays.
In Boston, busy holiday air travel will cap a record year for Boston Logan International Airport. Massport expects to surpass 43 million passengers passing through the airport on Tuesday.
