AAA released statistics that predict a 3.8 increase in holiday travel from last year. Those Americans are expected to travel 50 miles or more for the holidays.

Out of the 87.7 million travelers hitting the road, a whopping 77.7 million plan to drive to and from their destination, while 4.2 million will fly the friendly skies and the rest will take a train, bus or boat for their means of transportation.

Airfare has risen in recent weeks, which has made many families turn to Christmas carpooling as their best option. But even driving this holiday season will cost more as gas prices have gone up by more than 50 cents a gallon compared to this time last year.

Has the price of airline tickets and gas prices affected your travel plans? Leave a comment below telling us how 2009's holiday season travels have differed from 2008's holiday season travel.

Source: Associated Press