More Than 6 Million Floridians Will Hit The Roads And Skies For Holiday Travel

Floridians are expected to enjoy a lot of holiday travel this holiday season.

Christmas falls on a Monday and New Year’s Day falls on a Monday. That will make it likely that many families will want to travel on the weekends. According to AAA spokesperson, Mark Jenkins, the airports and roadways are going to be very crowded. It’s going to be a record-breaking travel season. More than 6 million Floridians will be driving or flying somewhere over the next two weeks.

What days are going to be busiest? Saturdays, including December 23 and December 30. Thursday, December 28 will be very busy, as well.

With that in mind, it’s a good idea to purchase travel insurance and a good idea to arrive early at the airport.

And, of course, you never know what’s going to happen with the weather. Brace for potential weather delays and have a backup plan. You never know when a Midwest or northeast storm will roll in and affect flight times and status around the country.

As far as driving goes, either leave early, as in before lunchtime. Or leave late, after dinner. Middle of the day traffic will be crazy.

Are you one of the 6 million-plus Floridians who will be doing some holiday travel this season?

For more on this story, click here.

Chances are minimal that we'll see a white Christmas in Florida this year. Actually, Tampa Theatre is playing White Christmas that week, but that's probably not going to make you bust out a sweater and mittens... do you really own a pair of mittens?

Here are some good deals I found from Tampa International Airport for Christmas week. All of these flights are for a 7 day stay leaving the Wednesday before Christmas on December 20 and returning to Tampa on Wednesday, December 27. Definitely avoiding travel those last few days before Christmas and the day after Christmas will save you some cash. I usually fly on Christmas day itself. You save a bundle and won't have to deal with insane crowds. If you get an evening flight, you'll still get to spend Christmas morning with friends and family.

None of these cities will guarantee you a snowfall on Christmas, but if you've been nice this year, Santa might work some magic. Here are 5 of my favorite picks that are an easy 2-3 hour flight from Florida. And most are priced right at the moment from Tampa.

While you don't always see snow in the city itself on Christmas Day, there are usually plenty of options a day trip away. I'd suggest heading up into the mountains of Vermont. They're amazing in the fall but my Christmas, those colorful leaves are long gone so you won't see those. But there are a ton of scenic routes to the ski resorts where you'll find all the snow you need - even if it's not natural stuff. As a Floridian, you won't be able to tell the difference. Portland, Maine is another great spot to spend Christmas. Do some shopping at LL Bean or just watch the lights sparkle in Portland's Old Port while you devour lobster rolls.

The windy city means crazy wind chills. But you can always warm up with a big deep dish pizza at one of my favorite spots in the world Lou Malnati's. There are locations all around the Chicago area and I've yet to have a bad pizza at any of them. Catch a Blackhawks game while you're there too. As great as Sonya Bryson is when she does the Star Spangled Banner at Tampa Bay Lightning games, the national anthem experience in Chicago cannot be topped. It'll rock your world.

While politicians don't conjure up warm fuzzy feelings for the holidays, DC can get its fair share of the white stuff. A couple years ago they got more than any of the states in the northeast. Plus you're a short train ride away from lots of other great spots to visit for Christmas like New York and Philadelphia.

This one's the priciest flight on this list, but I love visiting Montreal. You're almost guaranteed to see some snow during a December visit. But don't bring just a Florida-level winter jacket. December in Montreal can be brutally cold with temps below freezing at times. Even though I hate the team, a Montreal Canadiens game is a must if they're in town while you're there. The loudest hockey game I ever went to was a WATCH party for the Habs when they were playing the Rangers in New York City.

This last one I can't tell you a single thing about. I've never been to Watertown, New York. It made this list only because it's so darn cheap. Flying around Christmas to one of the northern most parts of the U.S. for under $200? That's a deal. And I'm sure the hot cocoa will taste just as good as it would in Manhattan.