What You Should Know Before Traveling This Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is a busy travel time, with over 80 million people expected to travel more than 50 miles to be with loved ones. AAA predicts heavy traffic on Wednesday, with 1.3 million more travelers on the road compared to last year.
The majority of Thanksgiving travelers, 90%, will be driving, totaling 73 million people. To avoid traffic, it’s recommended to leave early and plan your trip accordingly, with the best times for travel being early in the morning and after the holiday.
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. Filling the tank is a good idea the night before a road trip since it’s one less thing to do on travel day. AAA also recommends checking your battery and tire pressure. Last Thanksgiving holiday period, AAA responded to nearly 600,000 emergency roadside assistance calls to help stranded drivers with issues like dead batteries, flat tires, and empty fuel tanks.
Traffic is expected to return to normal levels by early next week.