About 81.8 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving holiday period from Nov. 25 to Dec. 1, according to the American Automobile Association.
This year’s domestic travel forecast includes an additional 1.6 million travelers compared with last Thanksgiving, setting a new overall record.
Thanksgiving is the single busiest holiday for travel.
“Many people look forward to the Thanksgiving holiday each year because it’s the perfect time to get together with family and friends,” said Jim Garrity, director of public affairs, AAA East Central. “Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times to travel, and AAA has found the majority of people are willing to brave the crowds and make any necessary adjustments to their plans to make those lifelong memories.”
AAA projects at least 73 million people will travel by car. That’s nearly 90 percent of Thanksgiving travelers. That figure could increase depending on flight cancellations and travelers opting for alternate modes of transportation. This year, AAA projects an additional 1.3 million travelers on the road compared with last Thanksgiving.
At the pump, drivers are paying about the same as last year, when the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.06 on Thanksgiving Day.
According to AAA, 6 million U.S. travelers are expected to take domestic flights over the Thanksgiving holiday period, a 2% increase compared with 2024. The number of Thanksgiving air travelers over the past several years – except for 2020 – has been between 5 million and 6 million.
Travel by other modes is expected to increase by 8.5% to nearly 2.5 million people. Those travelers are taking trips by bus, train and cruise. Buses and trains could see an uptick in last-minute bookings this year.
INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, expects Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon to be the most congested periods before Thanksgiving Day. Travelers returning home Sunday should expect heavy traffic most of the day.