RICHMOND, Va. (CBS19 NEWS) -- AAA projects that 34 million fewer Americans will travel this holiday season, a drop of 30 percent, due to COVID-19.

"In other years when AAA does its travel projections, they're often based on financial data, consumer confidence, sometimes gas prices, this year its all about COVID," said Martha Meade, manager of public and government affairs of AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Travelers are heeding warnings put in place by the Centers for Disease Control and local health departments like the Thomas Jefferson Health District.

"If you can avoid travel this year, please avoid it, and if you don't have to mix households, please avoid that as well," said Jason Elliott, Communications Specialist for the Thomas Jefferson Health District.

Travel is projected to be down a lot this holiday season.

"In Virginia, we expect travel to be the lowest we have seen in nearly two decades, a million fewer people traveling right here in the Commonwealth than we saw just last year," Meade said.

Numbers could be even lower than projected.

"These projections were made just before the governor enacted the newest restrictions in Virginia on Monday and before we really saw the full impact of the increase in cases, of COVID cases, since Thanksgiving," Meade said.

That's why agencies are issuing their own warnings to winter travelers.

"The holidays could be a time where we see those rates increase because we're just mixing a little bit more than usual," Elliott said.

Mixing with people outside your immediate household can lead to an increase in COVID-19 infections.

"Any time that we are spending with other people outside of our house we run that risk of seeing the rates increase," Elliott said.

Health officials recommend thinking about your actions prior to traveling, if you have to.

"Have you quarantined for a full 14 days before you have gotten together and has everyone who is planning to be at that event done the same thing? Think about are the people I am going to go see or spend time with already at high risk for contracting, and what do the rates look like where they live or where they live," Elliott said.

The Thomas Jefferson Health District is offering 50 slots of COVID-19 testing for walk-up only at Charlottesville High School on Friday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Pre-registration slots have already filled for the event.