Thanksgiving is the single busiest holiday for travel, outpacing Memorial Day and July 4.
AAA released its latest report on predicted travel trends in the United States during Thanksgiving weekend. It its projected nearly 82 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home over the holiday period, Nov. 25–Dec. 1. This represents an additional 1.6 million travelers compared to last Thanksgiving, a new overall record.
“Thanksgiving travel numbers are always impressive because this holiday has become synonymous with heading out of town to spend time with loved ones,” said Stacey Barber, vice president, AAA Travel. “People are willing to brave the crowds and make last-minute adjustments to their plans to make lifelong memories, whether it’s visiting extended family or meeting up with friends.”
The report also noted an estimated minimum of 73 million people planning to travel by car, accounting for nearly 90 percent of Thanksgiving travelers and an additional 1.3 million people on the road compared to last year. AAA predicts this number could increase if air travelers decide to drive instead of fly following recent flight delays and cancellations across the country. For drivers, Wednesday is expected to be the busiest pick-up day for rental cars, according to Hertz, with the top markets with the highest demand being Orlando, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and Newark.
The good news? Compared to last year, domestic car rentals are 15 percent cheaper this year than last.
About 6.1 million people are expected to travel by air, up from 5.94 million last year.
One interesting finding is the number of those planning to travel by other modes. This number is slated to increase by about 8.5 percent to nearly 2.5 million people via travel like bus, train and cruise. In fact, buses and trains could experience an uptick in last-minute bookings this year.
This year alone, AAA projects 20.7 million American cruise passengers, with predictions for an even greater number in 2026 as cruising continues on its record post-pandemic growth.
Top domestic Thanksgiving destinations for 2025 include Orlando, Florida; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Miami, Florida; Anaheim/Los Angeles, California; Tampa, Florida; New York, New York; San Francisco, California; Honolulu, Hawai’i; Las Vegas, Nevada; and Atlanta, Georgia. Internationally, Americans are traveling to Paris, France; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Vienna, Austria; Cancún, Mexico; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Basel, Switzerland; Sydney, Australia; Barcelona, Spain; Budapest, Hungary; and Oranjestad, Aruba.
Are you traveling this Thanksgiving? How far are you going and where? Are you driving or flying? Email us at letters@globaltravelerusa.com. Please include your full name and location.
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