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Travel experts expect surge in Americans hitting the road over Thanksgiving holiday

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Travel experts expect surge in Americans hitting the road over Thanksgiving holiday

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The Automobile Club of Southern California shared holiday travel insights, projecting that 6.58 million Southern California residents will head 50 miles or more from home over the holiday travel period, a 2.8% increase over last year’s record number of travelers.

For the first time, the American Automobile Association’s forecast includes the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving Day to better capture the flow of holiday travelers.

This year’s Thanksgiving travel volume in Southern California is also 3.5% higher than the pre-pandemic Thanksgiving holiday in 2019 when 6.4 million residents took holiday getaways.

Nationwide, AAA is also projecting this Thanksgiving to be the busiest on record, with 79.86 million travelers expected compared to 78.1 million in 2023 and 77.8 million in 2019.

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Southern Californians will continue to visit their favorite destinations this holiday weekend, including San Diego, Las Vegas, the Central Coast, the Grand Canyon, Disneyland, and national parks in California.

Mexico continues to be the top cruise destination locally, while Hawaii is the top air destination, Auto Club officials said.

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GasBuddy insights on Thanksgiving travel

The fuel experts at GasBuddy revealed that 72% of Americans plan to take a road trip over the Thanksgiving holiday.

GasBuddy’s 2024 annual Thanksgiving Travel Survey showed that this year’s travel will be a 75% increase from the 41% that planned to take a trip by car in 2023.

All of this comes amidst gasoline prices that have fallen to multi-year lows, including 29 states where average prices are currently below $3 per gallon, GasBuddy stated.

Unfortunately, the average price of gas in California is $4.41 and in San Bernardino County a bit lower at $4.28 on Wednesday, Nov. 20.

In Nevada, commuters will find gas at $3.69 per gallon, and even lower at $3.17 in Arizona. 

Holiday travel surge closer to pre-pandemic travel 

After several years of pandemic-influenced travel changes, this year’s data shows a return to more “traditional” Thanksgiving travel plans, with 72% of respondents indicating they will be driving to their destination, according to GasBuddy.

This year’s figure is closer to pre-pandemic levels when 65% drove for Thanksgiving in 2019, GasBuddy stated.

Travel figures were 38% in 2022, 32% in 2021, and bottom of the barrel low of 35% in 2020, the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dan and Marcy Arnett of Victorville said their trip next week to Phoenix to spend Thanksgiving with family will be the third time traveling during the holiday since 2020. 

“For us, COVID changed a lot of things, like how we eat out, watch movies, shop and travel,” Marcy told the Daily Press. “We stayed home for Thanksgiving in 2020 and 2021, then got comfortable and ventured out the next two years.”

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Hitting the road before Thanksgiving

Looking ahead to the Thanksgiving travel period, GasBuddy revealed that most survey respondents plan to start their Thanksgiving travel in the early morning of Wednesday, Nov. 27.

“Americans are eager to get back on the road and visit loved ones this Thanksgiving, with the vast majority choosing the flexibility and convenience of driving, as gas prices have fallen below $3 in over half of the nation’s states,” said Patrick De Haan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy. “While a few travelers feel discouraged by current gas prices, our data shows most people are undeterred and willing to absorb the extra costs to reunite with family over the holiday.”

Gas prices have fallen nearly 70 cents from the summer high to their lowest level since 2021, De Haan said.

“We expect prices to remain seasonally low leading up to the holidays, making road trips a more affordable option for millions of Americans,” he added.

More GasBuddy Thanksgiving Travel Survey insights

  • Of those not traveling by car, 10% plan to fly, and 87% are not traveling at all.
  • The top reasons for not traveling include having nowhere to go (33%), high fuel prices (16%), and travel not being in their budget (19%).
  • Most (60%) of those driving this year also drove last year, citing the flexibility of road trips (48%) and proximity to their destination (39%) as the primary factors.
  • 56% will cross state lines during their road trip.
  • The majority (60%) expect to spend 1-6 hours in the car, with two-thirds (66%) driving more than 100 miles.

Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz

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