What to expect when you travel for Thanksgiving this year

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – We’re days away from the busiest travel day of the year.

According to AAA, nearly 80 million Americans will leave home for Thanksgiving.

“Here in Kentucky, we expect over a million people to travel. We’re right around 2% more than what we saw in Kentucky, as far as Kentuckians traveling, compared to Thanksgiving 2023,” said Lori Weaver Hawkins, AAA of the Bluegrass.

Kentucky is popular for roadway travel, with 96% of travelers from the Bluegrass taking to the roads instead of the skies.

People are traveling earlier, too.

“We’re expecting that those two days ahead of Thanksgiving, the Tuesday and Wednesday, are going to be particularly busy. Now, when you come back, it’s gonna be busy on that Sunday, Monday, and beyond that,” Hawkins said.

When it comes to gas, Lexington’s average price per gallon is $2.85; statewide, it’s $2.79. Patrick De Haan, Gas Buddy’s Head of Petroleum Analysis, says you might find it cheaper if you’re driving south.

“The kinda deeper you get in the south, the lower the prices tend to be, whether it be Texas or Louisiana or Oklahoma,” said De Haan.

Many people will fill up, but demand isn’t necessarily higher because it spikes on heavy travel days, then drops significantly.

“Things like gasoline demand actually decline during the week of Thanksgiving and Christmas as well because while we do drive, we generally are off of work for several days, so gasoline demand tends to decline,” De Haan says.

Copyright 2024 WKYT. All rights reserved.