• Home
  • About Evelyn Kanter
  • Evelyn Kanter’s Books & Apps
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Workshops
  • NYC Travel Guru

Evelyn Kanter ecoXplorer

green living, smart spending

  • Green Hotels
  • Green Cars
    • Best Cars under $20,000
    • Test Drives
    • Diesel Cars
    • Electric Cars
    • Hybrid Cars
    • Hydrogen Fuel Cell
    • Luxury Drives
  • Travel Deals
    • Free
    • Budget Travel
    • Discount Tickets
  • Xplore More
    • Safety and Health
    • How To
    • Five Best
    • Travel Pioneers
    • Motorcycles
    • Vintage Cars
  • Scam Alert
  • Where to Go Next
    • Historic Travel
    • Epic Adventures
    • National Parks
Home » Thanksgiving 2018 Holiday Travel Forecast

Thanksgiving 2018 Holiday Travel Forecast

Leave a Comment

thanksgiving travel forecastGet ready to share the roads, skies, rails and waterways this Thanksgiving with more people than in more than a dozen years.

The AAA projects 54.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving 2018  via car, plane, train, ferry or cruise ship. That’s a 4.8 percent increase over last year, and an overwhelming majority of those will be traveling in vehicles, which means traffic jams and delays.

For the 48.5 million Americans planning a Thanksgiving road trip, INRIX, a global mobility analytics company, predicts travel times in the most congested cities in the U.S. could be as much as four times longer than a normal trip.

The 2018 holiday weekend will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2005, with 2.5 million more people taking to the nation’s roads, skies, rails and waterways compared with last year.

“Consumers have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season: higher wages, more disposable income and rising levels of household wealth,” said Bill Sutherland, AAA Travel senior vice president. “This is translating into more travelers kicking off the holiday season with a Thanksgiving getaway, building on a positive year for the travel industry.”

The Thanksgiving holiday period is defined as Wednesday, November 21 to Sunday, November 25.

Thanksgiving Holiday Travel Forecast by the numbers

Automobiles: The vast majority of travelers – 48.5 million – will hit the road this Thanksgiving, nearly 5 percent more than last year.

Planes: The largest growth in holiday travel is by air, at 5.4 percent, with 4.27 million travelers.

Trains, Buses and Cruise Ships: Travel across these sectors will increase by 1.4 percent, with a total 1.48 million passengers.

Higher Gas Prices Not Keeping Holiday Travelers Home

Motorists can expect to pay the highest Thanksgiving gas prices in four years, with a national average of $2.79 as of November 1, 31-cents more than a year ago.

“Motorists have become accustomed to this year’s more expensive gas prices  and won’t let higher fuel costs deter them from taking Thanksgiving road trips,” said AAA gas price expert Jeanette Casselano.

Drivers Beware: Thanksgiving’s Terrible Traffic

Based on historical and recent travel trends, INRIX, in collaboration with AAA, predicts drivers will experience the greatest amount of congestion Thanksgiving week during the early evening commute period, with travel times starting to increase on Monday.

Drivers in San Francisco, New York City and Boston will see the largest delays – nearly quadruple normal drive times.

In most cases, the best days to travel will be on Thanksgiving Day, Friday or Saturday. Drivers should expect increased travel times on Sunday as most holiday travelers will be making their way home after the long weekend.

AAA to Rescue Nearly 360,000 Motorists

AAA expects to rescue nearly 360,000 motorists at the roadside this Thanksgiving.

The worst culprits are dead batteries, lockouts and flat tires. AAA recommends you take your vehicle now to a trusted repair facility to perform any needed maintenance before heading out.

Oil changes, fluid level checks, battery tests and tire inspections go a long way toward reducing the chances of a breakdown.

 

SEE ALSO How to avoid road rage

Worst Times to Hit the Road in America’s Largest Cities
Metro AreaWorst Day for TravelWorst Time for TravelWorst HotspotDelay Multiplier
HoustonMonday2:00 – 4:00 PMTX-8 Beltway E, TX249 to I692.75
BostonTuesday4:00 – 6:00 PMI-495 S, exit 41 to 333.5x
SeattleTuesday4:00 – 6:00 PMI-5 S, exit 178 to 1492x
AtlantaTuesday5:00 – 7:00 PMI-75 N, exit 216 to 2272.75x
Washington, D.C.Tuesday5:00 – 7:00 PMCapital Beltway Clockwise2.5x
DetroitTuesday5:30 – 7:30 PMUS-23 N, exit 35 to 492.5x
New YorkTuesday6:00 – 8:00 PMI-95 W, exit 7 to Hamilton Bridge3.5x
San FranciscoWednesday1:00 – 3:00 PMI-680 N, exit 8 to 214x
ChicagoWednesday2:30 – 4:30 PMI-94 W, exit 40A to 12x
Los AngelesWednesday2:30 – 4:30 PMI-5 S, exit 79 to 54B2x
Source: INRIX

Tomorrow we’ll have the outlook for Thanksgiving holiday flights, getting to and from the airport, and hotel and rental car prices.

Thanks for visiting ecoXplorer. Stay up to date with the latest news about green travel, green cars, smart spending and frugal living by subscribing. It's free. RSS feed.
Welcome back to exoXplorer. Stay up to date with the latest news about green travel, green cars and smart spending by subscribing. It's free. RSS feed.

Share this:

  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook
  • Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window) Pinterest
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window) LinkedIn
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to share on Tumblr (Opens in new window) Tumblr
  • Click to share on Telegram (Opens in new window) Telegram
  • More
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window) Reddit
  • Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window) WhatsApp
  • Click to share on Pocket (Opens in new window) Pocket
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

Related

Filed Under: Archive

What do you think? We value your comments and love hearing from you.Cancel reply

Most Popular Recent Posts

  • AMC Theatres $5 Movie Tickets on Tuesdays
    AMC Theatres $5 Movie Tickets on Tuesdays
  • Amazon Prime Day Scams to Avoid
    Amazon Prime Day Scams to Avoid
  • Car Rental Do's and Don'ts
    Car Rental Do's and Don'ts
  • NYC Guide: Best Free & Cheap Things to Do In July, August & Beyond
    NYC Guide: Best Free & Cheap Things to Do In July, August & Beyond
  • Scam Alert: Kars4Kids Car Donation Charity
    Scam Alert: Kars4Kids Car Donation Charity
  • Overlanding Across Libya from Tripoli to Benghazi and El Alamein
    Overlanding Across Libya from Tripoli to Benghazi and El Alamein
  • Best Viewing Spots for 2025 Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks
    Best Viewing Spots for 2025 Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks
  • How to Help Victims of Texas Floods
    How to Help Victims of Texas Floods
  • Valle Nevado Opens 2025 Ski Season in South America
    Valle Nevado Opens 2025 Ski Season in South America
  • Scam Alert: Mideast Peace Charities
    Scam Alert: Mideast Peace Charities

ecoXplorer is your guide to smart spending and eco-friendly living

ecoXplorer is published by Evelyn Kanter, an award-winning journalist with 20+ years of experience as a newspaper and magazine writer, radio & TV news producer & reporter and guidebook author – all focusing on travel, automotive, the environment and your rights as a consumer.

Evelyn Kanter is the Past President of the International Motor Press Assn. (IMPA), a past Board Member of a prestigious professional group for travel journalists, and a member of several other top international organizations of journalists.

Evelyn Kanter is Senior Editor of SeniorsSkiing, which focuses on the 50+ outdoor enthusiast.

Contact me at evelyn@ecoxplorer.com or evelyn@evelynkanter.com.

Search ecoXplorer by category

© 2010-2025 ecoXplorer by Evelyn Kanter. All articles and photos are protected by US (C) Copyright laws. Any unauthorized copying is strictly prohibited. Plus, it’s just not nice.

  • Home
  • About Evelyn Kanter
  • Evelyn Kanter’s Books & Apps
  • Evelyn Kanter In The News
  • Workshops
  • NYC Travel Guru

ecoXplorer.com is an independent information service which is compensated by advertisers and sponsors. This site includes some links to other websites which are compensated for by our sponsors when you click them.

 

Loading Comments...