More Arizonans plan July 4 travel

Research from AAA and I.H.S. Global Insight finds that more than 800,000 Arizonans have a vacation planned for the Independence Day holiday. 

AAA predicts a 5 percent increase over how many Arizonans took a Fourth of July trip last year. They say lower gas prices and the holiday falling on a Wednesday contributed to the bump, as well as a better economy.

Stephanie Dembowski of AAA Arizona says they haven’t seen this much Independence Day travel since 2007 -- but even with more disposable income, travelers are still being cautious.

“Travel’s up 5 percent, but Arizona median spending is down almost 40 percent," Dembowski said. "So we’ve got a pretty significant increase in travel, but a really large decrease in spending.”

Dembowski says people are getting much more creative, by planning ahead and taking advantage of any available discounts.