If you’ll be heading out on the road to gobble your Thanksgiving turkey, beware. A record number of folks are predicted to take to the roads this holiday travel period. Thanksgiving traffic for this period takes in the Tuesday before, through the Monday following Thanksgiving Day.
Thanksgiving traffic will be a record
AAA projects 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.
“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.”
For RVers, look out for those other 71.7 million drivers
While AAA’s projections cover all forms of travel, of greatest interest to RVers is what will happen on U.S. roadways. Here’s the scoop on Thanksgiving traffic. AAA projects a record 71.7 million people will travel by car over Thanksgiving. That’s 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.
Gas prices are lower this Thanksgiving season compared to 2023. The national average last Thanksgiving Day was $3.26. Falling oil prices this autumn may help push the national average below $3 a gallon for the first time since 2021, and that could happen before drivers hit the road for Thanksgiving. Regionally, drivers east of the Rockies will find gas between $2.25 to $2.50 a gallon in more than a dozen states.
Add these days to your Thanksgiving traffic calculations. AAA car rental partner Hertz says Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, Oahu, Orlando, and Phoenix are the cities displaying the highest rental demand for the Thanksgiving holiday. The busiest car pick-up day is expected to be the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and the busiest rental return days will be the Monday and Tuesday after the holiday.
RVing metro areas? Here are the “look out” times
INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, says the worst times to travel by car over Thanksgiving are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. The best time to hit the road is Thanksgiving Day itself, 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, LA, Seattle, and Washington, D.C., where traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day.”
##RVT1184b
Hmmm! I find it interesting: We are on our phones and computers communicating all the time, to the point of sending a picture of my current meal to everyone I know, and we don’t even talk to the person across the table from us, and we facetime across the nation all year. We complain that we no longer have personal contact, BUT we must need that personal contact if we decide to put ourselves thru the pain of travel to get to the ones we love – gas prices be damned-, OR is it that we just want to run with the pack and be in the crowds? I’m now sitting down to write a Thanksgiving letter to my Aunt in Illinois, on paper, with a pen, envelope and stamp.
You are a contrarian, KellyR, and I admire that about you, not to mention admiring you yourself. 🙂
I have always been me and seldom contrary. The IT / AI, etc. is just contrary to what I was brought up to believe. I say “Yes Sir, Yes Ma’am, and shake hands when we meet and then sit down for coffee or tea. Life CAN remain simple if we so choose, except when doctors, pharmacies and others assume that I have a smart phone and can communicate with me that way and expect me to respond. If I die because I have missed some unknown appointment or something, I will have left this world “My Way”. When God wants me, I doubt that he will text. Good to see you posting again as have missed your posts. Glad to see you are still with us.
Hi, Kelly and Neal. When I saw that comment from Neal, I knew he wasn’t using “contrarian” in a negative or derogatory way, because he’s just not like that. So, I looked it up. Here’s one explanation I found: “A contrarian doesn’t take an opposing stand just for the sake of it… they do so because they see an opposing viewpoint that will lead to more favorable outcomes–a better future. Contrarians are the “instigators” of innovation. They’re not beholden to conventional wisdom.” And here are some famous contrarian thinkers: Plato, Napoleon, Gandhi, Martin Luther King. So, you’re in very good company, Kelly. Also, regarding smartphones: When I got my first one, and was very unfamiliar with it, my sisters asked me if it was a smartphone. I answered, “I don’t know, but it’s smarter than me!” Have a good evening/night. 🤗🤗 (one for each of you) –Diane
Ha! Like I said or maybe meant, (“listen to what I mean – not what I say”) I am not contrary. It is just that there are THINGS THAT ARE CONTRARY to my way of thinking. Now do you see how contrary I really am? I took no umbrage with Neal’s comments and hope/assumed he understood my reply. (The definition you quoted does sorta sound like me. I didn’t know I had a definition. Hà!) As contrary as I may or may not be, my wife seems to prefer the word “cantankerous”. (Gonna share the definition with her so she knows how brilliant I really am.) Diane, you can tell the definition people to feel free to add my name to the contrarian list, if you wish. That’ll throw them for a loop.
👍😄 It’s all good, Kelly. I agree that there are LOTS of things these days that are contrary to my way of thinking, also–and getting more so every day, unfortunately. In the meantime, have a good night.🤗 –Diane
Thank you, Russ and Tina! Yes, drove to mother-in-law’s Thanksgiving morning. So, about 60 miles. Returned Friday evening. Traffic not too bad getting through Chattanooga/I-24. Have a great weekend and safe travels!