Thanksgiving Holiday Travel to Set Record

If you plan to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, you are in good company.  AAA projects nearly 80 million of us will  be on the road, in the air and on the seas.

That’s an increase of 1.7 million people compared to last year and exceeds pre-Pandemic levels.

So be prepared for traffic jams and long check-in lines at airport and cruise ship terminals.  The good news is that gas prices are lower than Thanksgiving last year; the bad news is that airfares are higher.

For the first time, AAA’s forecast includes the seven-day period from the Tuesday before to the and the Monday after Thanksgiving Day to better capture the flow of holiday travelers. Historically, AAA only looked at the five days from Wednesday through Sunday.

Thanksgiving Travel By Mode

By Car: 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.

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, so you are likely to pay more for a rental those days because of supply and demand.

By Air: Thanksgiving air travel is also expected to set a new record. AAA projects 5.84 million people will fly domestically this holiday. That’s an increase of 2% compared to last year and a nearly 11% increase over 2019.

According to AAA booking data, air travelers are paying 3% more for domestic Thanksgiving flights this year, while the number of flight bookings is similar to last year. International flight bookings are up 23% compared to last Thanksgiving, in part because the cost to fly internationally is down 5%.

By Other Modes: 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.

The demand for cruises has been red-hot post-pandemic. Domestic and international cruise bookings are up 20% compared to last Thanksgiving.

Best/Worst Times to Travel By Car

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.

Top Thanksgiving Destinations

The common theme among the top 10 domestic destinations is warm weather. Four Florida cities are on the list because of their beaches, theme parks, and cruise ports.

Other top destinations include New York, California, Hawaii, and Las Vegas. Internationally, Europe and the Caribbean dominate the list thanks to their beach resorts, tourist attractions, and river cruises.

These are top Thanksgiving destinations based on AAA booking data from Tuesday, November 26 to Monday, December 2.

Domestic

Orlando, FL

Miami, FL

About AAA – Started in 1902 by automotive enthusiasts who wanted to chart a path for better roads in America and advocate for safe mobility, AAA has transformed into one of North America’s largest membership organizations with 65+ million members across North America, including nearly 58 million in the United States.