Thanksgiving Travel Ticks Up, Just Shy of Pre-Pandemic Levels
AAA predicts 54.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving. That’s a 1.5% increase over 2021 and 98% of pre-pandemic volumes. This year is projected to be the third busiest for Thanksgiving travel since AAA started tracking in 2000*.
“Families and friends are eager to spend time together this Thanksgiving, one of the busiest for travel in the past two decades,” says Paula Twidale, AAA’s Senior Vice President of Travel. “Plan ahead and pack your patience, whether you’re driving or flying.”
Most travelers will drive to their destinations, much like last year. Nearly 49 million people are expected to travel by car. While Thanksgiving road trips have slightly risen – up 0.4% from 2021 – car travel remains 2.5% below 2019 levels.
Air travel is up nearly 8% over 2021, with 4.5 million Americans flying to their Thanksgiving destinations this year. That’s an increase of more than 330,000 travelers and nearly 99% of the 2019 volume. “Airport parking spaces fill up fast, so reserve a spot ahead of time and arrive early,” Twidale suggests. “Anticipate long TSA lines. If possible, avoid checking a bag to allow for more flexibility if flights are delayed or you need to reschedule.”
Americans are also ramping up travel by other modes of transportation. More than 1.4 million travelers are going out of town for Thanksgiving by bus, train, or cruise ship. That’s an increase of 23% from 2021 and 96% of the 2019 volume. “With travel restrictions lifted and more people comfortable taking public transportation again, it’s no surprise buses, trains, and cruises are coming back in a big way,” Twidale adds. “Regardless of the mode of transportation you have chosen, expect crowds during your trip and at your destination. If your schedule is flexible, consider off-peak travel times during the holiday rush.”
*2005 and 2019 have been the busiest years for Thanksgiving travel, respectively, since AAA started tracking in 2000.
Busiest Corridors and Best/Worst Times to Travel
INRIX expects severe congestion in several U.S. metro areas, with some drivers experiencing more than double normal delays. Highways in and around Atlanta, Chicago, New York City, and Los Angeles will be the busiest. To avoid the most hectic times, INRIX recommends traveling early in the morning on Wednesday or before 11am on Thanksgiving Day and avoiding travel between 4pm-8pm Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.
“Thanksgiving is one of the busiest holidays for road trips, and this year will be no different,” says Bob Pishue, Transportation Analyst, INRIX. “Although travel times will peak on Wednesday afternoon nationally, travelers should expect much heavier than normal congestion throughout the holiday weekend. Knowing when and where congestion will build can help drivers avoid the stress of sitting in traffic.”
Best & Worst Times to Travel (by car)
| Date | Worst travel time | Best travel time |
| 11/23/22 | 11:00 AM – 8:00 PM | Before 8:00 AM, After 8:00 PM |
| 11/24/22 | 11:00 AM – 3:00 PM | Before 11:00 AM, After 6:00 PM |
| 11/25/22 | 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Before 11:00 AM, After 8:00 PM |
| 11/26/22 | 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Before 2:00 PM, After 8:00 PM |
| 11/27/22 | 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM | Before 11:00 AM, After 8:00 PM |
Peak Congestion by Metro
| Metro | Corridor | Increase Over Typical Traffic | Peak Congestion |
| Atlanta | I-85 South; Clairmont Rd to MLK Jr Dr | 105% | Wed, 11/23/22 – 1:30-3:30 PM |
| Boston | I-93 South; Albany St to MA-24 | 53% | Wed, 11/23/22 – 2:15-4:15 PM |
| Chicago | I-290 West; Morgan St to Wolf Rd | 99% | Wed, 11/23/22 – 3:00-5:00 PM |
| Detroit | US-23 North; 8 Mile Rd to Lee Rd | 32% | Wed, 11/23/22 – 2:00-4:00 PM |
| Houston | I-10 West; Sjolander Rd to TX-330 | 81% | Wed, 11/23/22 – 3:45-5:45 PM |
| Los Angeles | I-5 South; Colorado St to Florence Ave | 144% | Wed, 11/23/22 – 5:30-7:30 PM |
| New York | I-278 South; I-495 to 6th Ave | 158% | Wed, 11/23/22 – 2:45-4:45 PM |
| San Francisco | I-80 West; Maritime St to San Pablo Dam Rd | 80% | Wed, 11/23/22 – 4:00-5:00 PM |
| Seattle | I-5 South; WA-18 to WA-7 | 86% | Wed, 11/23/22 – 4:15-6:15 PM |
| Washington DC | I-495 Counterclockwise; I-95 to VA-123 | 85% | Sun, 11/27/22 – 11:15 AM-1:15 PM |
Expected Traffic by Metro & Corridor
| Metro | Corridor | Increase over Typical Traffic | Day |
| Atlanta | I85 south J91 to J248A | 105% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 |
| I75 north J205 to J227 | 64% | ||
| I85 clockwise J29 to J46 | 61% | ||
| I285 anti-clockwise J27 to J10B | 56% | ||
| US19 north J4B to J10 | 11% | ||
| Boston | I93 south J20 to J4 | 76% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 |
| I93 north J23 to J34 | 53% | ||
| I95 south J20B to J10 | 30% | ||
| I90 west J20 to 11A | 26% | ||
| MA3 J15 North to I93 J23 | 19% | ||
| Chicago | I290 west J29B to J16 | 99% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 |
| I290 east J17 to J29B | 84% | ||
| I94 west J16 to J160 | 59% | ||
| I94 north J68B to J52B | 35% | ||
| I294 J27B to J17B | 14% | ||
| Detroit | US23 north J53 to J60A | 44% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 |
| I75 north J59 to J67 | 33% | ||
| I96 north J170 to J162 | 32% | ||
| I94 south J219 to J210 | 32% | ||
| I696 west J10 to J1 | 30% | ||
| Houston | I10 west J795 to J787 | 81% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 |
| I69 east J123 to J132B | 77% | ||
| I610 north J4A to J20 | 49% | ||
| I45 south J51 to J40B | 33% | ||
| I69 south J136 to J115A | 25% | ||
| LA | I5 south J142 to J124 | 144% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 |
| I405 south J57 to J45 | 106% | ||
| I10 J19 to J38 | 88% | ||
| I405 J50 to I5 | 87% | ||
| I10 east J1B to J16A | 86% | ||
| New York | I278 south J35 to J22 | 158% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 |
| I495 east J13 to J32 | 97% | ||
| Blt Parkway west J17 to J3 | 77% | ||
| Blt Parkway east J3 to J17 | 66% | ||
| I495 west J44 to J16 | 21% | ||
| San Francisco | I580 east J34 to J65 | 83% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 |
| I80 north J8A to J18 | 80% | ||
| I80 south J13 to J1A | 63% | Saturday 26 Nov 2022 | |
| I680 north J8 to J50 | 62% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 | |
| US101 north J439 to J451 | 32% | ||
| Seattle | I5 south J142B to J133 | 86% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 |
| I5 south J182 to J164 | 62% | ||
| I405 south J18 to J6 | 59% | ||
| I405 north J2 to J9 | 32% | ||
| I5 north J168B to J182 | 30% | ||
| Washington DC | I95 south J170A to J160 | 85% | Sunday, 11/27/22 |
| I495 anticlockwise J27 to J45 | 51% | Wednesday, 11/23/22 | |
| I95 north J170A to J22A | 32% | ||
| I270 north J1 to J32 | 32% | ||
| I95 south J29B to J15 | 24% |
Holiday Forecast Methodology: A Brief Overview
Travel Forecast
In cooperation with AAA, S&P Global Market Intelligence developed a unique methodology to forecast actual domestic travel volumes. The economic variables used to forecast travel for the current holiday are leveraged from S&P Global Market Intelligence’s proprietary databases. These data include macroeconomic drivers such as employment; output; household net worth; asset prices, including stock indices; interest rates; housing market indicators, and variables related to travel and tourism, including gasoline prices, airline travel, and hotel stays. AAA and S&P Global Market Intelligence have quantified holiday travel volumes going back to 2000.
Historical travel volume estimates come from DK SHIFFLET’s TRAVEL PERFORMANCE/Monitorsm. The PERFORMANCE/Monitorsm is a comprehensive study measuring the travel behavior of U.S. residents. DK SHIFFLET contacts over 50,000 U.S. households each month to obtain detailed travel data, resulting in the unique ability to estimate visitor volume and spending, identify trends and forecast U.S. travel behavior—all after the trips have been taken.
The travel forecast is reported in person-trips. In particular, AAA and S&P Global Market Intelligence forecast the total U.S. holiday travel volume and expected mode of transportation. The travel forecast presented in this report was prepared the week of October 10, 2022.
Thanksgiving Holiday Travel Period
For purposes of this forecast, the Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as the five-day period from Wednesday, November 23 to Sunday, November 27. The Wednesday to Sunday period is consistent with previous years.