Traveling this year for Thanksgiving is shaping up to be a little crazy, y'all.
AAA is predicting that traveling this year for the holiday will increase to just shy of pre-pandemic levels!
They're predicting that 54.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home this year, marking a 1.5% increase over 2021 and 98% of pre-pandemic volumes, making it the third-busiest for Thanksgiving travel since 2000!
Though 49 million people are expected to travel by car, car travel remains 2.5% below 2019 levels.
However, 4.5 million Americans are expected to fly during this year's holiday, a nearly 8% increase over 2021. That's an increase of more than 330,000 travelers, and nearly 99% of the 2019 volume.
Paula Twidale, AAA's senior vice president of travel, advises, "Airport parking spaces fill up fast, so reserve a spot ahead of time and arrive early.
"Anticipate long TSA lines. If possible, avoid checking a bag to allow for more flexibility if flights are delayed or you need to reschedule."
Twidale recommends traveling early Wednesday morning, or before 11 a.m. local time on Thanksgiving Day. Drivers should avoid travel between 4 and 8 p.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
"Families and friends are eager to spend time together this Thanksgiving, one of the busiest for travel in the past two decades," he added. "Plan ahead and pack your patience, whether you're driving or flying."
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