Roughly 6.78 million Southern California residents are expected to travel for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, a record-setting figure for the holiday that is about 7% higher than the pre-pandemic level in 2019.
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The projected number of travelers is a 2.8% increase from last year, according to figures released by the Auto Club of Southern California.
The vast majority of travelers -- 5.88 million -- are expected to travel by car, while 704,000 will fly and 196,000 will take other forms of travel such as train, bus or cruise ship.
Nationally, 81.8 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more for the holiday, also a record number that tops last year's figure by 1.6 million, according to the Auto Club.
The Auto Club defines the Thanksgiving travel period as Tuesday, Nov. 25, through Monday, Dec. 1.
"Thanksgiving travel has always been popular, but has grown into an even greater priority in recent years after the pandemic limited those opportunities to connect with family and friends," Auto Club spokesman Doug Shupe said in a statement. "Southern Californians go the distance to spend time with family and friends. This holiday is one of the busiest -- and most meaningful -- times to travel each year."
The Auto Club noted that Southern California travelers will be paying some of the highest gas prices of the year, with a gallon of gas averaging about $4.66. Top travel destinations include San Diego, Las Vegas, Disneyland and the Bay Area.
According to the transportation analytics firm INRIX, Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons before Thanksgiving are expected to be the most congested times on area roadways, while Sunday after Thanksgiving will see the heaviest return traffic.
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