Are you hitting the road this Thanksgiving? Those who are will definitely want to pack their patience as AAA projects nearly 82-million Americans will be traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday period, which runs from the Tuesday before Turkey Day (November 25th) to the Monday after (December 1st).
AAA’s Thanksgiving Travel Forecast has just come out, revealing a record 81.1-million people will travel at least 50 miles from home for the holiday. That’s 1.6-million more than last year, a new record high and the busiest since they started tracking holiday traffic back in 2000.
- Nearly 90% will be traveling by car, as AAA reports at least 73-million will be driving to their destination.
- That means an extra 1.3-million on the road compared to last Thanksgiving, and that number could be even higher if recent flight cancellations lead people to rethink their travel plans.
- Another 6-million U.S. travelers are expected to fly to their Thanksgiving destination, up 2% from last year.
- Some will also be traveling by bus, train or cruise, with 2.5-million expected to use those modes of transportation this year.
With all those people on the road, travelers can expect a lot of traffic
- The busiest days for driving are expected to be the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving, with peak traffic from noon to 9p.m. on Tuesday and from 11a.m. to 8p.m. Wednesday.
- Thanksgiving Day itself shouldn’t be too bad, as many people will already be at their destination.
- Those traveling home on Friday or Saturday will want to avoid being on the road from around 1p.m. to 7 or 8p.m., when traffic is expected to be heaviest.
- Roads are also expected to be busy on the Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving, and AAA reports the best time to travel on Sunday is before 11a.m. and on Monday, it’s after 8p.m.
Source: AAA