AAA: Thanksgiving travelers prepare for the long weekend

Garret Roberts, Beaver County Times
·3 min read

While the cold weather may keep you bundled up at home, travel experts from AAA say many Americans will be traveling for their turkey this holiday season.

According to AAA, experts are predicting nearly 55 million people are planning to travel over 50 miles from home from Nov. 23-27 to celebrate the Thanksgiving weekend this year. This large number of travelers is ranked as the third busiest season for travel since 2000, with a 1.5% increase in the number of travelers since 2021 and the volume of travelers returning to 98% of pre-pandemic statistics.

Travelers wait in line for TSA at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. Air travel is expected to be popular this Thanksgiving season, with an 8% increase across the nation.
Travelers wait in line for TSA at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport on Friday, Dec. 17, 2021. Air travel is expected to be popular this Thanksgiving season, with an 8% increase across the nation.

“People are eager to get back to creating memories with their families and friends this Thanksgiving,” said Bevi Powell, senior vice president of AAA East Central. “The nearly pre-pandemic levels of travelers will result in heavy traffic congestion and busy airports. Motorists should strategically plan their journey, packing plenty of patience for the drive or flight."

Most travelers are expecting to take their holiday trips in cars, with nearly 49 million motorists filling the roadways during the long weekend. The number of planned road trips is slightly higher than last year, as around 0.4% of travelers are favoring personal vehicles for transportation this year. Numbers are still slightly lower than this same time period in 2019, with a decrease of around 2.5% of travelers still opting out of using cars for travel.

Locally, the mid-Atlantic region is expected to see a slightly higher bump in traffic as 5.9 million motorists enter the roadway throughout the weekend. The region is experiencing a slightly higher boost than other parts of the country, with a 0.8% increase in travelers using cars since 2018.

This INRIX chart shows the best time for travel on roadways across the nation this Thanksgiving. Experts suggest leaving early in the morning or late at night to avoid the heaviest traffic. Highways in and around Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles will be the busiest during these times.
This INRIX chart shows the best time for travel on roadways across the nation this Thanksgiving. Experts suggest leaving early in the morning or late at night to avoid the heaviest traffic. Highways in and around Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles will be the busiest during these times.

To avoid peak traffic times, travelers are encouraged to leave before 11 a.m. or after 8 p.m. on Nov. 23. On Thanksgiving, travelers should also prepare to leave before 11 a.m., but traffic is expected to reduce around 3 p.m. as families settle in for dinner. Throughout the weekend, travelers should do most of their travel early or prepare to face heavy traffic on the roadways throughout the evenings.

Across the nation, air travel is up by 8% as 4.5 million Americans plan to fly to their destinations. After many airports were forced to close or modify operations during COVID-19, the volume of travelers using these travel hubs has returned to 99% of what they were before the pandemic.

Orlando and Anaheim continue to be top destinations for travelers across the United States, especially as prices begin to decrease in some of those regions. Newcomers Chicago and Charlotte are also seeing increases in tourism, with travelers showing a renewed interests for those destinations.
Orlando and Anaheim continue to be top destinations for travelers across the United States, especially as prices begin to decrease in some of those regions. Newcomers Chicago and Charlotte are also seeing increases in tourism, with travelers showing a renewed interests for those destinations.

Air travel has also seen a notable bump in popularity in the mid-Atlantic region, as 623,000 passengers prepare to travel the skies over the weekend. That's an 8.2% increase in total passengers since 2018.

Across the United States, alternative travel is seeing a much higher increase. An estimated 1.4 million travelers will be using buses, trains or cruise ships to reach their destinations this year, a 23% increase from last year's total.

In the mid-Atlantic, these methods are slightly less popular, but still on the rise. Over 128,000 people plan to use these other methods of travel, which is roughly a 21% increase from the same period in 2018.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Thanksgiving travel on the rise