DIGGING DEEPER: Record-setting travel expected for Thanksgiving 2024

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (KTTC) – To grandmother’s house we go! Nearly 80-million Americans are expected to travel this year for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Assuming AAA’s forecast holds true, 2024 travel would set a new record—up more than 2% from last year’s Thanksgiving travel season.

Nearly 90% of travelers plan to take to the roads this Thanksgiving. An additional 1.3 million are looking to drive more than 50-miles from home this year compared to last year. The big reason, according to AAA, is lower gas prices.

More than 7% of turkey time travelers will fly this year. That’s about a 2% bump from 2023.

Other modes of travel, bus and train, are also up in 2024 based on AAA’s data.

The almighty dollar is being credited for this Thanksgiving travel uptick. AAA reports the record-setting numbers are being driven by economic growth, declining inflation, and strong income gains. When added together, they are expected to boost consumer spending by about 4.5% compared to this same time in 2023.

As for those gas prices, the national average last Thanksgiving day was $3.26. The current national average is $0.20 less at $3.06. As of Wednesday evening, AAA has Minnesota drivers paying an average of $2.88 a gallon, with Iowa drivers paying even less at $2.74.

AAA defines the Thanksgiving travel period as the seven-day period beginning on Tuesday, November 26 and ending on Monday, December 2.

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