More than 2 million North Carolinians choosing to drive to their Fourth of July destinations will have to deal with higher prices at the pump.

Best time to drive for July 4 travel

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To avoid traffic, experts say the best time to leave town on Friday is before 11 a.m. or after dark. The worst time to leave is between 12 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Drivers coming back from a trip on Sunday should leave in the morning before 11 a.m. The worst time to drive back on Sunday is between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m.

July 4 gas prices

Patrick DeHaan with GasBuddy says gas prices are trending downwards, but you won’t see any major cost differences this week. 

Instead, focus on picking the cheapest location to fill up. The WRAL FuelTracker can help you find the most affordable gas nearby.

According to AAA, the average gas price in North Carolina is $3.53 as of Friday, July 3.

 "The date and timing doesn't really matter as much as finding a station with a lower price, because every day of the week, 24/7, there's probably a range of 20 to 50 cents a gallon between stations," DeHaan said. "But if you want to wait a couple days, you might save a penny or two."

This Fourth of July holiday is expected to be the second-most expensive ever at the pump ahead of a projected record-breaking week for travel, and that's causing headaches for drivers. AAA said the 2022 July Fourth holiday was the most expensive ever after prices surged up to an all-time high over $5 a gallon in mid-June that year.

This year, AAA is projecting a record 72.2 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home during the nine-day period between June 27 and July 5.

The travel company estimates 5.85 million people will also travel by air. Some people are adjusting their vacation plans to help save money.

Travelers are not only taking note of the higher prices here at the pump, but higher prices for everything else like food and hotel stays. That’s making them change their spending habits this holiday. 

Many travelers are changing their plans to offset the higher cost of gas by choosing a destination closer to home or taking shorter trips. 

We spoke to Maurice Gabriel, who said his family is cutting back on travel throughout the entire year. They’re choosing to drive instead of fly because, even though gas prices are higher, it’s still cheaper than flight costs. 

"We’ve actually cut back. We normally take about five to six trips, but this year we’re only probably going to only do three because of gas prices and airfare," Gabriel said.

Some people even said they are choosing to stay home.

"I am cutting on my spending, because it’s not just gas prices that are high. Everything is high," driver Joseph Adileh said.

You can find a list of the lowest gas prices on pugongyingbo.com on our Fuel Tracker section at this link.