Less than 10 days before Americans gather for Thanksgiving, many people are either preparing or already embarking on journeys back home. According to the latest predictions, traffic during this Thanksgiving period in the United States is expected to be busier than last year, with approximately 81.8 million people traveling, setting a new historical record.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) forecasts that between November 25th and December 1st, there will be 81.8 million people traveling more than 50 miles, an increase of about 1.6 million people from last year (a 2% increase) and nearly 4 million more people from 2019 (a 5.2% increase). Of these, at least 73 million people (nearly 90%) will be traveling by car, while 20.7 million people will be taking cruises.
It is estimated that around 6 million people will travel domestically by plane during the holiday period, a 2% increase from last year. Recently, domestic and international flights were heavily affected by the federal government shutdown. Although flight cancellations due to the cutbacks have been lifted as of Monday (the 17th), the number of air travelers may still be slightly affected.
According to AAA’s predictions, airfare costs for Thanksgiving travelers this year will be similar to last year. The average price of round-trip domestic flights is $700, but return flights may be more expensive, especially during the peak return periods on Sunday and Monday (November 30th and December 1st). Travelers who avoid these two dates may save costs and skip congestion.
Meanwhile, rental car prices are observed to have decreased by 15% compared to last year according to booking data.
For drivers, AAA recommends checking vehicle batteries and tire pressure before embarking on their journey. During last year’s Thanksgiving holiday, the association received nearly 600,000 calls for emergency roadside assistance, mainly due to issues such as dead batteries, flat tires, and running out of gas.
AAA particularly emphasizes driving safety, as between 2019 and 2023, there were a total of 868 drunk driving-related fatalities during Thanksgiving, accounting for 35% of all traffic accident fatalities during that period.
Traffic data analysis provider INRIX predicts that Tuesday and Wednesday (November 25th and 26th) afternoons will be the busiest times for driving during Thanksgiving, and travelers returning by car on Sunday (November 30th) may also encounter traffic jams. Apart from Thanksgiving day itself, the best times to travel between November 25th and December 1st are before 11 a.m. or 10 a.m.
For example, a journey from Los Angeles to Bakersfield of over 110 miles via the Interstate 5 is estimated to take more than four hours on Wednesday (November 26th), with peak congestion around 7:45 p.m. Another heavily congested route in California on that day will be the 130-mile stretch from San Diego to Palm Springs, taking nearly five hours.
Additionally, AAA has compiled a list of popular Thanksgiving travel destinations based on booking data for this year. Domestic destinations include Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Tampa in Florida; Los Angeles and Anaheim with Disneyland in California; San Francisco; Honolulu in Hawaii; Las Vegas in Nevada; and New York City and Atlanta.
International hotspots include Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Cancun in Mexico, Basel in Switzerland, Sydney in Australia, Barcelona in Spain, Budapest in Hungary, among others.