Truckers will have plenty of company on the road this holiday season, although less than last year.

AAA says 59.1 million Americans are planning to travel 50 miles or more from home during this year's Christmas-New Year's period, down about 1 percent from the near-record 59.9 million people who took a trip during the same period last year.

The record is 63 million people, set during the 1995 holiday season.

A total of 11.2 million travelers plan to go by airplane, up from the 10.5 million fliers during the 2001 holiday.

Another 2 million are expected to hop aboard a train, bus or other mode of transportation - the same number as last year.

The Southeast is expected to have the greatest number of motorists, with 12.1 million. Other regions and their expected numbers of motorists include the West, 11.5 million; Midwest, 9.7 million; Great Lakes, 7.3 million; and Northeast, 5.3 million.

AAA's holiday travel projections are based on a national telephone survey of 1,300 adults that was conducted by the Travel Industry Association.