SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Nearly 80 million Americans are expected to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday period in 2024, according to a forecast released Monday by AAA.
AAA says the prediction of 79.9 million is an increase of 1.7 million compared to 2023 and 2 million more than 2019, exceeding pre-pandemic numbers and setting a record. Around 10.7 million of the 80 million travelers will be Californians.
In this case, a traveler is someone going 50 miles or more from home for the holiday.
METHOD OF TRAVEL
CAR: AAA projects 71.7 million people will hit the road over the travel period, and gas prices are currently lower than they were this time last year. The average price is around $4.47 a gallon, 57 cents cheaper than last year.
PLANE: AAA projects 5.84 million people will fly domestically. International bookings are also up 23% compared to last year since the cost of international flights is down 5%.
An additional 2.3 million will travel by other methods including buses, trains and cruises. AAA says cruise bookings are up 20% compared to 2023.
HOLIDAY PERIOD
The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is the seven days from Tuesday, Nov. 26 to Monday, Dec. 2. AAA says the 2024 outlook is the first time they’ve included the Tuesday before the holiday and Monday after.
BEST/WORST TIMES TO DRIVE
AAA says, generally, the worst time on the road over the holiday period is Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. They say the best day is Thanksgiving Day itself.
Here it is broken down by day:
- Monday, Nov. 25: 1-5 p.m. (worst time), before 11 a.m. (best time)
- Tuesday, Nov. 26: 1-7 p.m. (worst time), before 10 a.m. (best time)
- Wednesday, Nov. 27: 1-5 p.m. (worst time), before 10 a.m. (best time)
- Thursday, Nov. 28: Minimal traffic expected
- Friday, Nov. 29: 7-10 a.m. (worst time), after 1 p.m. (best time)
- Saturday, Nov. 30: 4-8 p.m. (worst time), before 1 p.m. (best time)
- Sunday, Dec. 1: 12-6 p.m. (worst time), before 1 p.m. (best time)
- Monday, Dec. 2: 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (worst time), before 8 a.m. or after 7 p.m. (best time)
As for peak congestion? That’s expected on eastbound Interstate 80 from San Francisco to Sacramento the night of Tuesday, Nov. 26. That route is expected to see an 88% increase compared to normal traffic.
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