AAA: millions hitting the road for Thanksgiving travel

LUDLOW, MA (WGGB/WSHM) - Millions of Americans hit the roads Wednesday for the Thanksgiving holiday, making it the busiest holiday in years.

“Pretty busy in Albany, not too bad now,” said David Barresi from Albany, NY.

“I was trying to leave earlier than I did, but I slept in like usual,” added Cooper Nelson from New York.

Nelson is one of over 54 million Americans expected to travel more than 50 miles from home for Thanksgiving this year.

“Getting to see the family and enjoy some good food,” Nelson said.

This year, the early bird gets the worm.

“We left at about 10:45 from Lee, MA. Traffic’s been really good, it’s flowing well,” said Rebecca Gleason from North Adams.

Travel levels are expected to be the highest they’ve been since 2019. AAA Northeast spokesperson Mark Schieldrop told Western Mass News, “a lot of folks are really making a priority to travel and spend time with family this holiday. That’s despite higher gas prices, higher energy prices, higher inflation.”

AAA estimates over one million Bay State residents will hit the roads, which is up two-and-a-half percent from last year. Schieldrop added that air travel is also up eight percent this year.

“The folks who planned ahead, booked their parking, and got that all squared away long before they got in the car to drive to the airport, they’re gonna have the better time,” Schieldrop noted.

He said if your schedule allows, leave before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m. and avoid driving from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., especially on Black Friday.

“Some folks are heading back home from the holidays, some folks are heading out to hit the malls, and then there are those folks that are working,” Schieldrop explained.

He urged drivers to be careful, especially after seeing an uptick in crashes and bad driving behaviors this year.

“Stay to the right, let those folks battle it out in the left lane, give yourself more time. You can mosey along in a safe manner,” Schieldrop said.

Schieldrop said those figures are expected to make this a top three travel year since AAA started tracking travel numbers.

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