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Fact #308: February 23, 2004
Holiday Travel 2001

According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, the number of long-distance trips increased by 54% during the Thanksgiving holidays and 23% during the Christmas–New Year holidays in 2001. The chosen mode of travel for those holidays, however, did not change much from the remainder of the year. The share of trips made by personal vehicles was about 90%.

Average Person Trips per Day during
Holiday and Non-Holiday Periods
Graph showing the average person trips per day during holiday and non-holiday periods.

Share of Long-Distance Travel by Mode 2001
Graph showing the share of trips by mode of transport greater than 50 miles one-way during holiday and non-holiday periods.

Note: Long distance trips are defined as trips of 50 miles or greater, one-way. Thanksgiving holiday period is defined as November 20–25, 2001. Christmas–New Year holiday period is defined as December 21, 2001–January 2, 2002.

Supporting Information

Holiday Travel 2001
  Average Person Trips per Day
Remainder of Year 6,694
Thanksgiving 10,304
Christmas 8,243

 

Holiday Travel Modes for Trips over 50 Miles (One-Way) 2001
Principle Mode of Transport Thanksgiving Christmas Remainder of Year
Personal vehicle 91.7% 91.1% 89.4%
Air 5.3% 6.5% 7.5%
Bus 2.0% 1.3% 2.1%
Train 0.8% 1.0% 0.8%
Other 0.1% 0.1% 0.2%

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, America on the Go..., Findings from the National Household Travel Survey, "U.S. Holiday Travel," November 2003.

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