Thanksgiving has been the busiest travel holiday for Americans, and it's about to get even busier according to AAA's annual holiday forecast.
In 2024, 80.2 million people traveled 50 miles or more during the week of Thanksgiving, and AAA predicts that number to rise to 81.8 million this year. That's even more than the 77.8 million people that traveled for the holiday in 2019, the last Thanksgiving before the COVID-19 pandemic grounded many travel plans.
"What's really cool about Thanksgiving is it's all about that feast," said Elizabeth Carey, public relations director for AAA of Western and Central New York. "It's that Thursday, and it's about getting together with your friends, your loved ones, your family. So a lot of people travel for Thanksgiving. It's actually the single busiest holiday for travel because Thanksgiving is one day and getting together for the meal, whereas Christmas and year end holidays, they're spread out over a few weeks"
The vast majority of the travel will be done on the road, with AAA's forecast data predicting 89.6% by auto, 7.4% via air and the remaining 3% by other modes of travel.
Despite a period of reduced flights at some airports due to the now resolved federal government shutdown, and growing mistrust of aviation safety, Thanksgiving air travel is expected to rise by about 2% compared to last year.
"For Thanksgiving this year, about six million people are expected to travel by air. There have been a lot of issues with the airlines recently, obviously, but we do expect that number to stay strong," said Carey. "It might fluctuate a little bit if there are still some concerns in airports and people decide, 'You know what? I'm going to New York City and it's drivable, I'm going to cancel those plans,' and then take the car or maybe take the train instead."
The national average for gas prices is expected to remain at the exact same level it was for Thanksgiving 2024, $3.07 per gallon. Carey said that's a bit of an oddity.
"Usually it's off by at least a few cents. The good news is that it's still affordable. Research shows that people never want to pay any more than they have to for gasoline, and they love to see it $2 a gallon," she said. "However, under $3.50 a gallon, people usually say, 'I'm going to get out and about and I'm going to take that road trip.' It really won't prevent anyone from going out and traveling."
With a higher volume of people driving further on the roadways, Carey said that can cause an increase in roadside breakdowns. She warns it's best to stay proactive with your vehicle.
"Last year, AAA responded to about 600,000 calls across the country. So having that car looked over before that road trip is going to prevent a lot of those things," Carey said, "Checking the tire pressure, the battery, all the fluids, having it checked over by a certified mechanic before you head out could help you avoid a breakdown."
