AAA: Record Nevadans to Travel over Holiday

AAA estimates a record number of Nevadans will travel over the upcoming holidays, despite higher gas prices and travel expenses.

More than 612,000 Nevadans plan to travel 50 miles or more from their homes over Christmas and to celebrate New Year’s, the automobile and travel organization said.

Of those, 490,000 or 81 percent are expected to travel by motor vehicle, a 0.4 percent increase over last year, AAA said. More than 92,000 plan to fly.

“Each year, the state’s population grows, which means there are more travelers who get added to the equation,” said AAA Nevada spokesman Michael Geeser.

“Still, an increase over last year, at a time when prices have gone up across the board, shows how determined Nevadans are to get out and go this holiday period.”

Nationally, AAA said over 65 million Americans will travel this holiday, an increase of 0.7 percent from last year.