NORFOLK, Va. — Traffic for the holiday weekend is already off to a busy start.
There are already travel delays with air travel, but road travel is expected to be rough as well.
Some arrived at their destination early to beat the traffic, like 5-year-old Jordan Sims. She's already making the most of her vacation.
"There’s sand and it’s warm and I like the water 'cause it’s cold when you get in and sometimes it’s funny when I run out," she explained while wearing bright swimsuit and mermaid sandals.
She and her whole family traveled from Northern Virginia to the Virginia Beach Oceanfront for the holiday weekend.
"We wanted to avoid traffic at all costs 'cause Northern Virginia, it can be... 30 minutes can turn into two hours," said her father, Jerell Sims.
Her grandfather, Darryl Stringfellow, said they left early, which is exactly what AAA is recommending through Monday.
"It wasn’t too bad. We left super early and tried to get ahead of the traffic, so it wasn’t bad at all," he said.
AAA expects 50 million Americans to travel on July 4, a new record. In Virginia, 1.35 million are expected to travel.
"It’s going to be our busiest 4th of July travel season since we ever started recording our travel data," said Ryan Adcock, spokesperson for AAA Tidewater.
1.18 million Virginians will be driving, with 107,000 flying.
Adcock said part of the reason for the bump in travelers this year are lower gas prices.
"The gas average for the state at the moment is $3.30 and the gas average a year ago for this state was $4.67 So, a large jump in the right direction from what we saw for 4th of July weekend last year."
Saturday is going to be a busy travel day, so you’re going to want to get on the road before noon.
Adcock said Sunday and Monday will be pretty quiet.
If you’re heading back home on July 5th, jump in the car before 2:00 p.m.
Stringfellow and his family sid they’re going to soak in the sun and family time before they head back home.
"We’re having a great time in Virginia Beach. Great 4th of July holiday."
Another thing to consider if you're taking a trip somewhere: gas prices.
13News Now is tracking prices at the pump.
According to AAA, the national average is now $3.54. That's actually down three cents from a month ago.
It'll cost you a little less to fill up in Virginia. Here the average is $3.30 a gallon. That's down four cents from a month ago.
Prices in Hampton Roads have also been hovering around the same spot for a while now-- the current average is $3.39.
While these prices are still pretty high, they're nothing compared to what we were paying last summer.
One year ago, a gallon in Hampton Roads cost $4.73.