CHESTERFIELD COUNTY, Va. — The travel experts at AAA forecast that 2023 will be the third busiest Thanksgiving for travel since the association began tracking in 2000.
“We’re looking at more than 55 million people traveling for the holiday,” AAA Mid-Atlantic’s Morgan Dean said.
Only 2005 and 2019 saw busier years than what families will experience this year whether you’re flying, traveling by train, or driving to your destination.
“Tuesday and Wednesday are expecting to be very busy days on the roadways,” Dean explained. “The big problem with those days you get holiday travelers mixed up with that evening commute and it can be really, really long delays out there.”
AAA recommends you avoid traveling between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
Leaving on Sunday as early as you can will help you avoid congestion on the roads.
“Or wait out that evening commute if you don't mind driving during those evening hours or dark darkness hours later in the night,” Dean said. “But understand it's going to be a busy extended weekend, there could be a lot of traffic, and a lot of cars out there no matter when you're gone.”
Dean said the continued surge in travelers stems from the return from COVID-19 and the desire to visit family and friends.
More than 49 million people are expected to travel by car this year. Drivers will pay about 50 cents less for a gallon of gasoline than they did last year.
Approximately 4.7 million people are flying which accounts for an increase of more than 6 percent over 2022.
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