Southeast likely to lead nation in holiday travel

ATLANTA - The AAA Auto Club South says the Southeast is expected to lead the country in motorists hitting the road for Christmas travel.

A AAA report released Wednesday says about 63.9 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home during the holiday period, 28 percent of them from the Southeast.

Despite a rocky economy, the overall number of holiday travelers is expected to be down only about 2 percent from last year. In the Southeast, the drop is projected to be just over 1 percent, with one in four people living in the region expected to travel during the holidays.

Kevin Bakewell of AAA said the actual numbers may be higher since the report was based on people's travel plans in October, and gas prices have fallen since then.