Record number of Texans expected to travel this Thanksgiving

Planes, trains, and automobiles. Texans will take all three to get to Thanksgiving destinations.

The American Automobile Association just made its highest ever Texas travel predictions for a Thanksgiving.

AAA Texas spokesman Daniel Armbruster said more than 100,000 people will travel by bus and train, and more than 300,000 more will travel by air. But most are hitting the open road.

“We look at those who are traveling 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving, and out of that 5.7 million Texans will be traveling in total,” he said. “[More than five million] people will travel by car, so about 90% of those traveling for Thanksgiving here in Texas will do so by car. And that is the highest number AAA has ever forecasted for Thanksgiving.”

Gas prices at the pump in Texas for Thanksgiving are expected to be a few pennies a gallon less than last year.

“The national average is $3.06. Here in Texas the average is $2.68. And a year ago, it was $2.77 on this day.” Armbruster said. “So, gas prices are a little cheaper, and we believe that will be the case for Thanksgiving next week — that folks will pay a little bit less than they did a year ago.”

San Antonio, Austin, and the Hill Country are top destinations for Texans this Thanksgiving along with Dallas and Houston, AAA reported. It also found the Caribbean region and the cities of Orlando and Rome are favorite Thanksgiving spots for Texans.