Record-high 82M people expected to travel over Thanksgiving holiday, AAA projects

Experts expect a record-setting Thanksgiving holiday travel period.

AAA projects 81.8 million people to travel at least 50 miles away from home between Nov. 25 and Dec. 1. The domestic travel forecast includes an additional 1.6 million travelers compared to last year, setting a new overall record.

“Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times to travel, and AAA has found the majority of people are willing to brave the crowds and make any necessary adjustments to their plans to make those lifelong memories,” said Jim Garrity, with AAA East Central.

Here’s the projected travel breakdown for the Thanksgiving holiday period for the Mid-Atlantic region:

• 8.9 million by vehicle (2.2% increase from 2024)
• 865,000 by air (2.7% increase from 2024)
• 197,000 by other means, like bus, train or ship (4.6% increase from 2024)
• Regional total of 10 million travelers (2.3% increase from 2024)

AAA says nearly 90% of people will travel by car. That figure could increase depending on flight cancellations.

Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the busiest times on the road before Thanksgiving Day and Sunday is expected to have the heaviest traffic after the holiday.

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