AAA’s Best and Worst Times to Drive on Thanksgiving Day
Traffic is expected to increase over the holiday weekend as travelers hit the road to visit family or go on vacation. Depending on where you live and where you’re going, in some cases you may need to avoid driving to avoid the worst of traffic.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) just released its annual Thanksgiving forecast , which predicts a record 71.7 million people will travel by car over the holiday. That’s up 1.3 million from last year and higher than pre-pandemic records, possibly helped by the lowest national average gas price since 2021.
Air travel is also expected to be busy this Thanksgiving , with the number of travelers up 2% from last year and up 11% from 2019.
The best and worst times to travel for Thanksgiving 2024
For 2024, AAA expanded its traffic forecast to include the Monday and Tuesday before Thanksgiving, as well as the Monday after. Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons are forecast to be the worst times to travel by car, but unlike previous years, drivers can expect minimal impact on Thursday, making the holiday itself the best time to travel.
Monday, November 25
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Best time: before 11 am.
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Worst time: from 13:00 to 17:00.
Tuesday, November 26
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Best time: before 10 am.
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Worst time: from 13:00 to 19:00.
Wednesday, November 27
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Best time: before 10 am.
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Worst time: from 13:00 to 17:00.
Thursday, November 28
AAA predicts minimal traffic impacts for Thanksgiving.
Friday, November 29
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Best time: after 13:00.
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Worst time: 7 to 10 am.
Saturday, November 30
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Best time: before 13:00.
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Worst time: from 16:00 to 20:00.
Sunday, December 1
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Best time: before 13:00.
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Worst time: from 12:00 to 18:00.
Monday, December 2
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Best time: before 8 am / after 19 pm.
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Worst time: from 9:00 to 18:00.
Peak congestion in specific metro areas is expected to vary greatly. For example, those traveling on the Long Island Expressway E from New York City to the Hamptons on Tuesday afternoon could experience a 133% increase in traffic compared to normal traffic, while the worst traffic is predicted to be in the San Francisco area. Diego – 38% increase – predicted. on I-15 S from Palm Springs on Saturday afternoon. Drivers in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Seattle and Washington, D.C., traffic could more than double during rush hour.
Finally, if you rent a car, be prepared for long check-in lines on Wednesday and busy return counters on the Monday and Tuesday after the holiday.