AAA projects 81.8 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving holiday period from Tuesday, November 25 to Monday, December 1. This year’s AAA domestic travel forecast includes an additional 1.6 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving, setting a new overall record. Thanksgiving is the single busiest holiday for travel compared to others like Memorial Day and July 4.
“Thanksgiving travel numbers are always impressive because this holiday has become synonymous with heading out of town to spend time with loved ones,” said Stacey Barber, Vice President of AAA Travel. “People are willing to brave the crowds and make last-minute adjustments to their plans to make lifelong memories, whether it’s visiting extended family or meeting up with friends.”
Thanksgiving Travelers by Mode of Transportation
By Car: AAA projects at least 73 million people will travel by car, that’s nearly 90 percent of Thanksgiving travelers and an additional 1.3 million people on the road compared to last Thanksgiving. That number could end up being higher if some air travelers decide to drive instead of fly following recent flight cancellations.
For travelers who are renting cars, AAA car rental partner Hertz says Wednesday is expected to be the busiest pick-up day. The top 5 markets with the highest demand are Orlando, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Newark. According to AAA booking data, domestic car rentals are 15% cheaper this Thanksgiving compared to last year.
At the pump, drivers are paying about the same as last year, when the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.06 on Thanksgiving Day. Filling the tank is a good idea the night before a road trip since it’s one less thing to do on travel day. AAA also recommends checking your battery and tire pressure. Last Thanksgiving holiday period, AAA responded to nearly 600,000 emergency roadside assistance calls to help stranded drivers with issues like dead batteries, flat tires, and empty fuel tanks.
The holidays can be particularly dangerous time on the roads. AAA and MADD are reminding travelers about the dangers of impaired driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, from 2019 to 2023, the death toll in drunk-driving crashes during Thanksgiving festivities was 868, which is more than one-third (35%) of all fatalities in traffic crashes during that holiday period. Have a plan in place before Thanksgiving, and use a rideshare, designate a sober driver, or take public transit to ensure everyone’s safety.
By Air: According to AAA, 6 million U.S. travelers are expected to take domestic flights over the Thanksgiving holiday period, a 2% increase compared to 2024. That figure could end up being slightly lower as some air travelers make other plans following recent flight cancellations. The number of Thanksgiving air travelers over the past several years – with the exception of 2020 – has been between 5 and 6 million.
According to AAA data, which is based on what travelers paid when they booked their Thanksgiving trips, a roundtrip domestic flight is averaging $700 which is similar to last year. It’s cheaper to fly on Thanksgiving Day itself, but the flight home is what drives up the ticket price since Sunday and Monday are the busiest return days. Some travelers shorten or extend their Thanksgiving trips to avoid flying on peak days.
By Other Modes: Travel by other modes is expected to increase by 8.5% to nearly 2.5 million people. Those travelers are taking trips by bus, train, and cruise. Buses and trains could see an uptick in last-minute bookings this year.
Cruising is building on its record post-pandemic growth. This year alone, AAA say it's projecting 20.7 million American cruise passengers. That number is even higher for 2026 with AAA forecasting 21.7 million U.S. travelers taking ocean cruises. Cruise vacations are appealing during Thanksgiving, especially to the Caribbean, because the weather is mild, the trip is paid in advance, and families can bring grandparents and kids, and everyone is entertained.
Best And Worst Times To Hit The Road AAA, using traffic data from analytics firm INRIX, says timing your Thanksgiving drive this year may matter more than the route itself. The Thanksgiving travel period runs from Tuesday, November 25 through Monday, December 1, 2025, and the heaviest backups will come when everybody tries to leave or return at the same time.
Here’s how the week shakes out, in local time for whatever metro you’re in:
• Tuesday, Nov. 25 – Worst: roughly noon to 9 p.m. Best: earlier in the day, before noon.
• Wednesday, Nov. 26 – Worst: late morning through evening, about 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Best: before 11 a.m.
• Thursday, Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving Day) – AAA and INRIX expect relatively light traffic overall. If you have to drive, this is the calmest day to do it.
• Friday, Nov. 28 – Worst: early afternoon to early evening, about 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Best: before 11 a.m.
• Saturday, Nov. 29 – Worst: mid-afternoon into the evening, about 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Best: before 10 a.m.
• Sunday, Nov. 30 – One of the roughest return days. Worst: late morning through evening, about 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Best: before 11 a.m.
• Monday, Dec. 1 – If you push the trip home to Monday, expect heavy traffic from about noon to 8 p.m. The “escape hatch” is later at night; INRIX says conditions improve after 8 p.m.
AAA’s bottom line: if you can roll early in the morning, do it. The closer you get to lunchtime and the dinner hour on those peak days, the more you’ll be sitting in brake lights instead of at the table. And no matter when you go, AAA reminds drivers to build in extra time, watch the weather, and have a sober driver lined up before the holiday starts.
Source: AAA.
Photo Credit: Ann Stryzhekin/Shutterstock.com.
