According to two recent surveys, a majority of Americans are anticipating vacations away from home this Fourth of July holiday, even as they plan to stick to their tight budgets.

AAA Auto Club predicts that about 34.9 million Americans will travel at minimum 50 miles from home over Fourth of July weekend, up from 29.8 million during the 2009 holiday.

Fewer people are traveling compared to the more money-liberal times before the financial crisis. This year’s projection is still 7.7 percent below 2008 Independence Day travel levels, and 17.5 percent below the number of travelers during 2007’s Fourth of July weekend.

AAA expects that travelers will spend less than they did in 2009.

Source: Associated Press