It comes as no surprise that this year's holiday travel season will be slower than last year's. In fact, it will be the slowest holiday season in recent memory. The number of people traveling during the holidays has risen every year for the past five years. 2002 was the last time the season's numbers did not top the previous year's.

Of course, everyone is pointing their fingers at the economy. While air travel is significantly down, other forms of travel are down as well. These numbers are according to a survey conducted by the American Automobile Association (AAA).

According to the survey, the number of fliers will drop by 2% compared to last year. Many people expected the drop to be much worse, but lessening fuel surcharges and cheaper airfares have come just in time change a terrible situation (for airlines) into a situation that could merely be called "bad" for the airline industry and passengers.

But not bad for those who want to venture out for the holidays. Good airfares are still available as airlines try to lure more passengers on board. Though there will be some last minute deals out there, those who aren't lucky enough to snag them can expect to pay about 3% more than last year for a seat on a plane.

Also, gas is nearly a dollar-and-a-half cheaper than it was during the 2007 holiday season. The AAA survey predicted that there would be nearly as many people on the roads this year as there were last year, with only a 1% drop.

So though there will be an overall drop in the number of travelers taking to the roads or the skies this holiday season, things are not as bad as they could have been. You might even be a glass-half-full person who says that the holiday season shows that the travel industry and economy are on the rebound.