MILLBURY, Mass. - AAA expects a full week of busy days on the road leading up to the 4th of July.

“A lot of folks will be taking the 27th, as the first real big travel day over that holiday period," spokesperson Mark Schieldrop said. "So, it's really a whole week.”

According to AAA, 72.2 million people will be traveling over July 4, and they expect 85% will be traveling by car.

Schieldrop recommends that ‘the earlier you leave, the better’ if you plan on driving.

“That workweek period where people are on vacations after July 4th, we expect to see a little bit higher volumes than the afternoon hours, particularly that afternoon," Schieldrop said. "Commutes and traffic will generally tend to build right around lunchtime most days over the holiday.”

Gas prices have dropped in recent weeks, but Massachusetts is still nearly a dollar higher than last year’s prices.

Schieldrop said despite recent high inflation and other economic pressures, people aren’t canceling travel plans.

“Americans are determined to travel," Schieldrop said. "They're prioritizing it over other things in their budget. They're cutting back in other areas to afford travel. And that's a trend we've been seeing for a number of years.”

Schieldrop said a big variable for traffic ahead of Independence Day is the weather, but advises people to check any traffic advisories and plan for roads to be busy around America’s 250th anniversary.

“Independence Day, the July 4th week is one of the busiest weeks on the roadways," Schieldrop said. "It's really kind of the peak of the summer driving season.”