AAA: Thanksgiving holiday travel highest since 2005
The AAA says Thanksgiving travel this month will be the busiest for 13 years..
The motoring organization predicts about 54.3 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles away from home for the holidays.
It amounts to a 4.8% increase on last year.
Despite high gas prices, it estimates 48.5 million people will travel by car for the Thanksgiving period which the AAA defines as from November 21 through November 25.
Higher wages and lower taxes equals more disposal income to spend on travel, it says.
"This is translating into more travelers kicking off the holiday season with a Thanksgiving getaway, building on a positive year for the travel industry," said Bill Sutherland, SVP of AAA Travel.
About 4.27 million people will travel by air, up 5.4%, and a further 1.48 million people will travel by train, bus or cruise ship.
Mobility analytics company INRIX says roads will start seeing heavy congestion from November 19.
INRIX is advising motorists to avoid traditional commute times and has highlighted exactly where the worst traffic bottlenecks will likely be.
Travelers in Boston, New York City, and San Francisco could face drive times up to four times longer than usual for part of their trip, it says.
TravelMole Editorial Team
Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
Phocuswright reveals the world's largest travel markets in volume in 2025
Cyclone in Sri Lanka had limited effect on tourism in contrary to media reports
Higher departure tax and visa cost, e-arrival card: Japan unleashes the fiscal weapon against tourists
In Italy, the Meloni government congratulates itself for its tourism achievements
Singapore to forbid entry to undesirable travelers with new no-boarding directive