The Thanksgiving holiday is nearly upon us, which means tens of millions of Americans will be traveling nationwide this week to visit their loved ones and celebrate around the dinner table with them on Thursday.
The majority of that travel both to and from Turkey Day destinations is expected to kick off tomorrow, Tuesday, November 25, and run through Monday, December 1, which are the dates the American Automobile Association (AAA) defines as the 2025 Thanksgiving holiday period.
It’s the busiest travel period for Americans, even beating out holidays like the Fourth of July and Christmas.
While several million Americans are expected to make their Thanksgiving journeys by air or train, the overwhelming majority—more than 73 million this year—are expected to travel by car.
If that includes you, you’ll want to pay attention to the latest data compiled by AAA.
It reveals the best times to hit the roads during the upcoming holiday period and the times you should avoid being on the streets if you don’t want to experience the worst of the increased traffic congestion.
Best times to hit the roads for the Thanksgiving travel period
Except on Thanksgiving Day on Thursday, any other time that you travel during this Thanksgiving holiday period, you are likely to see more road congestion than usual. However, some times of the day are likely to see less travel congestion than others.
Here are the best times to be in the car this Thanksgiving period if you want to avoid the worst of traffic, according to information compiled by AAA from transportation data and insights provider INRIX:
- Tuesday, November 25: Before 12 p.m.
- Wednesday, November 26: Before 11 a.m.
- Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving): Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
- Friday, November 28: Before 11 a.m.
- Saturday, November 29: Before 10 a.m.
- Sunday, November 30: Before 11 a.m.
- Monday, December 1: Before 8 p.m.
Worst times to hit the roads for the Thanksgiving travel period
INRIX says that Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon are expected to feature the heaviest congestion before Thanksgiving, and the Sunday after Thanksgiving is expected to see the heaviest traffic for return home journeys.
The firm says that the worst times to be on the roads due to traffic congestion during the entire holiday period are as follows:
- Tuesday, November 25: 12 p.m.–9 p.m.
- Wednesday, November 26: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
- Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving): Minimal Traffic Impact Expected
- Friday, November 28: 1 p.m.–7 p.m.
- Saturday, November 29: 1 p.m.–8 p.m.
- Sunday, November 30: 11 a.m.–8 p.m.
- Monday, December 1: 12 p.m.–8 p.m.
More than 73 million people will travel by car this Thanksgiving
AAA says 73.28 million people will take to the roads in cars this Thanksgiving holiday period. That’s 1.3 million more than the 71.99 million travelers who took to the roads during the 2024 Thanksgiving period—an increase of about 1.8%.
It’s also 2.7 million more than those who took to the road in 2019, the last Thanksgiving before the outbreak of the pandemic.
But travelers this week won’t only be taking to the roads to get to and from their Thanksgiving festivities. AAA says that while automobile travel will make up 89.6% of all travel in America during this Thanksgiving holiday period, millions of Americans will also be taking to the skies and rails.
The association expects 6.07 million travelers to take flights during this holiday period, and another 2.48 million to travel by “other” modes of transportation, including buses, trains, and cruise ships.
In total, AAA expects the number of travelers in America to reach 81.83 million this Thanksgiving holiday travel period. That’s a 2% increase from last year, when 80.22 million people traveled. And it’s 5.2% more than the 77.78 travelers who took to the road, skies, and rails in 2019.
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