ORLANDO, Fla. — AAA Travel forecasts 46.9 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday, according to a press release.
This projection is a 0.6 percent increase over the 46.6 million people who traveled last year and is also the largest amount of travelers since 2007, stated the release.
With the 300,000 additional holiday travelers, this marks the seventh consecutive year of growth for Thanksgiving travel, reported the release, which is a period defined as Nov. 25-29.
“This Thanksgiving, more Americans will carve out time to visit friends and family since 2007,” said Marshall Doney, president and CEO of AAA, in the release. “While many people remain cautious about the economy and their finances, many thankful Americans continue to put a premium on traveling to spend the holiday with loved ones.”
Moreover, continued the release, gas prices remain well below 2014 levels, “providing an early holiday bonus” to the over 89 percent of travelers who plan to drive to their destinations.
“One holiday gift has come early this year. Americans will likely pay the lowest Thanksgiving gas prices since 2008,” stated Doney in the release. “Lower prices are helping boost disposable income and enabling families to kick off the holiday season with a Thanksgiving getaway.”
Of the projected 46.9 million travelers, 42 million will travel by car, added the release, which is an increase of 0.7 percent compared to last year.
With this spike in road travel, noted the release, AAA plans to assist more than 360,000 stranded motorists this Thanksgiving, with primary reasons being dead batteries, lockouts, and flat tires.
Car owners must prepare for their journeys by ensuring their vehicles are up to date on necessary maintenance and are equipped to handle any potential car troubles if they arise. As car care business owners and operators, providing proper education to customers is crucial. This education ensures safe travel, well-maintained and safe vehicles, and happy customers, which in turn will lead to more trust in the car care business and more money in the bank.
You can read the entire AAA press release on increased Thanksgiving travel here.
In Professional Carwashing & Detailing’s Guest Post, several recent blog posts related to car care education can help ensure car care businesses are providing customers with proper education.
In “Educating car owners on essential auto care tools,” which can be found here,” Scott Distel provides a list of must-have tools for the road and why providing this education to customers can lead to boosted profits.
Ron Burg discusses how providing customers with quality services starts with education in the post, “Why you should opt for professional car service.” You can read this Guest Post here.
In the post, “Car Rust: Prevention and removal strategies,” which you can read here, Matthew Young shares insight into what car rust is, how it can be prevented and a few removal best practices. During the winter season especially, car rust can form on vehicles which may cause severe damage. Make sure customers know the warning signs of corrosion.
