Turkey travel: More than 55 million travelers are making plans to kick off the holiday season with a trip of 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving.
This will be the second-highest Thanksgiving travel volume since AAA began tracking in 2000, trailing only the record set in 2005. Overall, an additional 1.6 million more people will travel compared with last year, a 2.9% increase.
The Thanksgiving holiday period is defined as Wednesday, Nov. 27 to Sunday, Dec. 1.
For the 49.3 million Americans traveling by automobile, AAA predicts major delays throughout the week, peaking Wednesday with trips taking as much four times longer as commuters mix with travelers.
On a positive note, gas prices have been fluctuating recently but are currently trending a dime cheaper than the national average at this time last year. This is giving Americans a little extra money to spend on travel and motivating millions to take road trips. For the majority of Americans, AAA expects gas prices to be fairly similar to last year’s Thanksgiving holiday, which averaged $2.57.
AAA recommends motorists take their vehicles to a trusted repair facility to perform any needed maintenance before heading out on a road trip. And remember to slow down and move over for stopped emergency vehicles at the roadside.
Warm weather beckons this Thanksgiving: The theme parks of Orlando and southern California, and other warm-weather destinations will see an influx of travelers looking to escape the start of winter.
Florida is home to four of the top 10 destinations, and Hawaii twice graces the list of top destinations in the U.S. this Thanksgiving, based on advance AAA national travel bookings:
Orlando, Fla.; Anaheim, CA.; New York, NY; Las Vegas, Nev.; Honolulu, Hawaii; Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.; Tampa, Fla.; Kahului, Maui, Hawaii; Phoenix, Ariz. and Miami, Fla.
For those travelers planning an international vacation for Thanksgiving, sandy beaches are their destinations of choice. Nassau, Bahamas; Cancun, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; and Montego Bay, Jamaica are AAA’s top international destinations this Thanksgiving, with Munich, Germany rounding out the top five.
