If you hope to spend more time with your family and less stuck in traffic (or vice versa) this Thanksgiving, you may want to plan your drive around the busiest times on the road.
The American Automobile Association (AAA) just released its annual Thanksgiving travel forecast, which predicts that just over 49 million people will be driving more than 50 miles from home during the holiday weekend this year. AAA defines the “Thanksgiving holiday travel period” as the five days from Wednesday, Nov. 22 to Sunday, Nov. 26.
Air travel is also expected to be busy with an estimated 4.7 million people flying during the Thanksgiving holiday, a 6.6% increase over last year and the highest number since 2005. Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday of Thanksgiving week are generally the worst days for air travel.
The best and worst times to drive over Thanksgiving 2023
Table of Contents
AAA forecasts that the overall busiest period to drive is on Wednesday between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., when traffic is expected to be nearly 11.5% greater than usual. In general, your best bet to avoid congestion is early morning or in the evening.
Wednesday, November 22
Thursday, November 23
Friday, November 24
Saturday, November 25
Sunday, November 26
AAA also publishes predictions for when major metro areas will experience peak congestion over the long weekend and on which route. These predictions vary widely: For example, Atlanta is expected to see a 54% jump in traffic on I-20 E on Friday around 5 p.m., while I-5 N in Los Angeles is likely to be busiest (88% over normal) around 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.