Travel Will 'Go Boom' 4th of July Weekend - Central Coast News KION/KCBA

SALINAS, Calif.- Not since 2003 have Californians seen such high numbers of Independence Day travelers, according to AAA, which projects over 4.8 million Californians will make a mad dash out of town for this unusual mid-week holiday.

This number of travelers represents a 5.2 increase over 2011, the second highest number of travelers in the past ten years. 

According to AAA, during the upcoming 4^th of July celebration holiday, 54 percent of those surveyed are intending to begin their trip on Friday, June 29. That's the week prior to the week of July 4th. This means many travelers will be enjoying a longer than normal holiday period of six days, which contributes to the higher volume of travelers.

"As summer begins, so does the appetite for travel," says AAA Northern California spokesperson Cynthia Harris in a news release. "The determination to travel, while economizing, has been the common trend over the past several years. Lower gas prices are also spurring more people to travel."

The 4th of July is set to be one of the busiest national holidays of this decade. This year, AAA projects more than 3.8 million Californians will drive to reach their holiday destinations. That's a four percent increase when compared to travel figures from 2011. Air travel will increase by 9.8 percent, with more than 570,000 travelers expected to take to the skies. More than 470,000 state residents plan to travel by other modes of transportation, such as rail, buses and watercraft. This represents an increase of 10 percent when compared to travel figures from last year.