Experts give Baton Rouge Thanksgiving travel forecast, tips

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) – Many are traveling home for the holidays, whether on the road or in the air. Experts give some travel advice on how to best handle the holiday hustle.

“Fairly easy until we got in Baton Rouge,” Quinton Barnes said when asked about travel traffic.

Barnes has been on the road for hours, traveling from Georgia and heading home to Houston to enjoy Thanksgiving with his family. Traffic was waiting for him in Baton Rouge.

“I think we left the worst of it behind in East Baton Rouge and plan on taking as many back roads as we can, and of course using our navigation apps to make sure that we can bypass anything that comes up while we’re out there,” Doug Perron said.

Perron is heading to Springhill, Louisiana to visit his girlfriend’s family, trying to avoid the traffic the best he can.

More than 71 million people will be on the roads this Thanksgiving, which is a million more than last year, according to AAA.

“Be patient with one another out there, there may be more traffic on the road,” Louisiana Highway Safety Commission Public Information Officer Greg Fischer said.

Fischer says this week, the LHSC is reminding drivers to keep safety and patience at the forefront of their travel plans.

“Thanksgiving is kind of a deadly holiday just in general because of the traffic, we believe. Since 2019, we’ve had 54 fatalities over Thanksgiving weekend alone in Louisiana, so that’s why we run the ‘Click It or Ticket’ campaign during this time,” Fischer said.

It’s not just the roadways that are crowded, it’s airports, too. The Transportation Security Administration says by doing TSA PreCheck, you can skip some of that line. They are also reminding travelers to know what’s allowed in what bags.

“If you’re going to travel with your firearm, make sure it’s in your checked bag, place it in a hard-sided locked case have it be unloaded, and declare it to the airline at check-in,” TSA spokesperson Sari Koshetz said.

After a quick pit stop, folks at the gas station are ready to get back on the road and celebrate with family.

“Excited most about the side dishes, of course, for us that’s the star of the show but it’s mainly about hanging out with friends and family and just feeling that holiday love and getting into the holiday season with Thanksgiving is like always a great day to approach the broader season,” Perron said.

“Just keeping it basic, eating around the house, just watching football, stay out of trouble,” Barnes said.

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