According to estimates from AAA, Thanksgiving travel delays could be up to three times as long as normal this year. About 15 percent of the population is expected to travel more than 50 miles away from home for the holiday.
That 15 percent is 51 million people, up 3.3 percent from 2016. This is the highest Thanksgiving travel rate since 2005. Tuesday and Wednesday are expected to be the busiest travel days before the holiday.
Around 45.5 million people are planning to drive to their destination, with 4 million people flying, and 1.48 million people taking other forms of transportation. Translation: there might be traffic.
People in Chicago should prepare for driving times three times longer than normal if they are traveling during peak hours. In San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Boston the extra driving time is expected to be 2.5 times longer than normal. The most popular destinations that people will be headed are Orlando, Anaheim, New York City, Honolulu, and Las Vegas.
