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In Philly area, 548k to travel for July 4th, AAA says

More to visit state or national parks this year

About 548,000 people in the Philadelphia area are expected to travel for the July 4th holiday, AAA says.

AAA projects the number of Independence Day travelers from the area to see a 0.7-percent decrease from last year. The auto club says the Fourth of July is still expected to be the busiest travel holiday of the summer.

In the Mid-Atlantic as a whole, AAA says, more people are planning to visit national or state parks, while fewer intend to dine out or go shopping, perhaps as a result of continued economic troubles.

This year, 36 percent of Mid-Atlantic travelers plan to go to a park, up from 21 percent last year.

"National and state parks are generally very affordable, especially for families," AAA spokeswoman Jenny Robinson said in a statement.

The most common getaway for Independence Day travelers is visiting friends or relatives, AAA says.

About 84 percent of people will drive to their destinations, AAA found, and 7 percent will fly.

Nationwide, about 40.8 million people are expected to travel between July 3 and July 7, a 0.8-percent decline from last year.