Traveling For The Holidays? Gas Prices Are Lowest In Five Years

PENNSYLVANIA — While the COVID-19 pandemic has upended travel plans for millions of Americans, more than one-third of people say they still plan to travel by car during the holiday season.

That's according to a holiday survey from GasBuddy, a travel and navigation app focused on gas savings.

The survey found that 34 percent of Americans plan to travel by car during the holiday. Regions expected to see the most holiday trips include the Rocky Mountains (40 percent) and the Southeast (39 percent), with the lowest percentage of travelers expected in the Northeast (27 percent).

“It’s been a nightmarish year for many due to the spread of COVID-19 and economic challenges that came with it, but many Americans have deeply rooted traditions for the holiday and are unwilling to let them slip away like the rest of the year," Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said in a news release. "Ironically, due to the challenges 2020 has presented, gas prices have fallen and we project the national average to be $2.19 per gallon on Christmas Day, the second lowest in the last decade."

The majority of travelers said news of the COVID-19 vaccine trial results did not impact their travel plans.

“We’re expecting to see heightened driving activity across some of the most hard-hit areas of the coronavirus,” De Haan said. “It’s more important than ever for travelers to remain safe and vigilant on the roads, particularly at rest stops and gas stations, but also amidst state quarantine requirements since many that are hitting the road may be crossing into other states.”

The findings were taken from GasBuddy's Holiday Travel Survey issued to 1,878 GasBuddy members from Dec. 3 through Dec. 7. Gas prices and projections are based on GasBuddy’s gas pricing data from more than 150,000 gas stations across the United States.

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