By Brendan Scanland
WASHINGTON, D.C. — During this year’s Thanksgiving travel period, AAA projects nearly 80 million people will be traveling 50 miles or more to spend the holiday with family and friends.
71.7 million will be putting their vehicles in drive as they hit the road for Thanksgiving.
“This Thanksgiving is another record breaker. We had a record-breaking Thanksgiving in 2023, and this year is projected to surpass that,” said Aixa Diaz, spokesperson for AAA.
On the roads, Diaz predicts this year will see 1.3 million more people than last year’s Thanksgiving travel period. She says Tuesday and Wednesday are typically the busiest travel days. Thursday is typically quieter, but mother nature might shake things up.
“If you were thinking of leaving on Thursday morning, because typically that is the day when driving is the easiest because there’s fewer people on the roads and there’s less traffic, well, now if there’s a rainstorm coming and it’s happening all day along the East Coast that day, maybe you leave on Wednesday. Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, unfortunately, are the most traveled times so the traffic is going to be the worst. If you’re leaving Tuesday and Wednesday, you try to leave as early as possible,” said Diaz.
Although higher traffic volume and severe weather could be inevitable this year, there is some good news for drivers.
“This year, gas prices are much lower than last Thanksgiving,” said Diaz of the current AAA national average at just over $3 per gallon. “This is a very low national average,” she added.
Diaz expects the trend to continue into December.
“As we go into the holiday season and as December starts, gas demand goes down for a few reasons. One, more people are working remotely over the holidays, so they’re not driving into the office as much. Also, a lot of people do their holiday shopping online now. They don’t actually drive to the store. So, gas demand comes down a bit, which brings down gas prices as well,” said Diaz.
It’s important to be prepared before you begin your trip. For drivers, AAA recommends the following:
- Check the car battery
- Fill up the gas tank or fully charge your EV the night before a trip
- Check tire pressure
- Check the forecast along the entire travel route
- Have a safety kit: extra water, non-perishable food, blankets, flashlight, flares and phone charger
For additional details on the best times to travel, AAA resources can be found here.
