Thanksgiving Travel Expected to Hit New Record This Year
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Thanksgiving travelers will have a lot of company this year.
According to AAA projections, 79.9 million travelers will head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. This year's projection of nearly 80 million travelers is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to last year and 2 million more than in 2019.
For the first time, AAA's forecast includes the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving Day to better capture the flow of holiday travelers.
"Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel, and this year we're expecting to set new records across the board, from driving to flying and cruising," said Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel. "Americans reconnect with family and friends over Thanksgiving, and travel is a big part of that. AAA continues to see travel demand soar post-pandemic with our members looking for new adventures and memorable vacations."
Broken down by mode of transportation, AAA projects a record 71.7 million people will travel by car over Thanksgiving — or an additional 1.3 million travelers on the road compared to last year. This year's number also surpasses pre-pandemic numbers when 70.6 million people drove to their Thanksgiving destinations in 2019.
And there is good news for those traveling by car: gas prices are lower this Thanksgiving season compared to 2023. The national average last Thanksgiving Day was $3.26. This year, according to AAA, falling oil prices this autumn may help push the national average below $3 a gallon for the first time since 2021.
Regionally, drivers east of the Rockies will find gas between $2.25 to $2.50 a gallon in more than a dozen states.
[Read more: Sheetz Gives Holiday Travelers a Break at the Pump]
AAA also projects that 5.84 million will fly domestically this holiday, an increase of 2% compared to last year and a nearly 11% increase over 2019. Additionally, nearly 2.3 million people are expected to travel by other modes of transportation, including buses, cruises and trains. This category is seeing an increase of almost 9% compared to last year and an 18% jump over 2019, in large part due to the popularity of cruising, AAA noted.
According to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, the worst times to travel by car over Thanksgiving are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. The best time to hit the road is Thanksgiving Day when interstates and highways are typically clear. Drivers returning home on Sunday should leave early in the morning, and those coming back on Monday should expect a mix of travelers and work commuters on the road.
"With a record number of travelers expected to be on the road, drivers should follow traffic apps and local news alerts to avoid major delays," said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. "This is especially important for drivers in metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, D.C., where traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day."
The top five domestic destinations this holiday are Orlando, Fla.; Miami; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; New York; and Anaheim/Los Angeles, Calif.