The American Automobile Association is expecting a record number of Americans to travel within the U.S. during the Independence Day holiday period.

AAA is projecting 72.2 million people to travel at least 50 miles from home between Saturday, June 28, and Sunday, July 6. That would represent 1.7 million more travelers from last year and 7 million more than in 2019. 

"With the holiday falling on a Friday, travelers have the option of making it a long weekend or taking the entire week to make memories with family and friends," AAA Travel Vice President Stacey Barber said.

AAA is expecting record travel by both car and air. It said it projects 61.6 million people to travel by car, up 2.2% from last year, and 5.84 million travelers to fly, up 1.4%. It said 8% of all Independence Day travelers are expected to fly. 

Boosting car travel are gas prices that "are still the lowest they’ve been since 2021" even though the Iran-Israel conflict has increased the price of oil in recent days, AAA said. "Escalation and duration of the conflict are two factors to watch. Weather is also a wild card."