According to AAA, 119 million people are expected to travel for the holidays over the next couple of weeks. This is the highest number of travelers since the pandemic, falling just short of 2019 levels.
However, several community members in Atascadero shared they won't be going outside county lines.
Terry Peterson said he's only going as far as Paso Robles this Christmas.
"Me and my kids open up gifts at our house and then head over to my folks' house in Paso," Peterson said. "We like to stay local and avoid the traffic."
Sue and John Rich said their kids visit them in town during the holidays.
"I don't care for the Bay Area traffic. I grew up in San Francisco but it's a lot more traffic now," Sue Rich said.
Despite what several northern San Luis Obispo County residents said, the SLO County Airport expects to see a 20% increase in travelers during the holidays.
Meanwhile, 107 million people are expected to travel by car this holiday season, according to AAA.
One Atascadero resident, Jennifer Hernandez, said she plans to drive to Anaheim the day after Christmas. She hopes to get an early start to avoid traffic.
"We're gonna try to be morning but it's probably like 11 or 12 that we leave," Hernandez said.
For those who do intend to travel by car, the chart from AAA below indicates the best and worst times to travel during each day of the holiday season.
