(KFSM) -- According to a TripAdvisor survey, 33 percent of Americans are traveling for the Christmas holiday, and with gas prices at a six-year low, many people are hitting the roads for the holiday week.
“I came in about two weeks ago,” James Cotten said.” I was doing some work down in Mississippi, so it was time to come home for Thanksgiving and maybe get both the holidays for one nice family vacation.”
Cotten said he has lived in Southern California since 1996, but he comes home to Arkansas every year for the holidays. He said the low gas prices have been helpful.
“I usually drive home rather than fly, so you know that`s like four or five tanks of gas to get from California to here and that can add up pretty fast,” Cotten said.
Mika Hartman and her daughter Henley are in town visiting family, but Hartman's husband will be driving from Colorado Springs, Colo. to Van Buren on Wednesday (Dec. 23).
“He's gonna be driving, so we have room to take Christmas presents, so the gas prices will be helpful with that,” she said.
Both Cotten and Hartman say less pain at the pump has given them more expendable income this Christmas as well.
“Since I've been here I've been going to Oklahoma City and getting to see my friends and some family I got spread out, and that's been incredibly cheap,” Cotton said. “I've never been able to do that before.”
“It certainly helped out with being to help out at Christmas when gas prices are down, you have extra money,” Hartman said.
The busiest days on the road this year are expected to be Wednesday and Thursday. The other busiest traffic day will be the Sunday (Dec. 27) after Christmas as many drivers will be returning home before they go back to work on Monday (Dec. 28), according to holiday travel tips from Waze.