Highways and airports will be stuffed this Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving is the busiest season for travel compared to other holidays like the Fourth of July and Memorial Day, and it is expected to be the busier than ever in 2025.
Nearly 82 million Americans are expected to travel for the holiday this year, AAA projected on Monday, setting a new overall record. The number counts people who are expected to go at least 50 miles away from home between Tuesday, Nov. 25, and Monday, Dec. 1.
AAA’s projection of 81.8 million travelers is an increase of 1.6 million people from 2024 and 3 million more than the last pre-pandemic Thanksgiving in 2019.
“Thanksgiving travel numbers are always impressive because this holiday has become synonymous with heading out of town to spend time with loved ones,” said Stacey Barber, vice president of AAA Travel. “People are willing to brave the crowds and make last-minute adjustments to their plans to make lifelong memories, whether it’s visiting extended family or meeting up with friends.”
AAA projects at least 73 million people will travel by car. The organization said that number could increase if some of the 6 million expected flyers decide to drive instead after recent nationwide flight cancellations. The Federal Aviation Administration ended its flight-reduction emergency order on Monday, allowing air travel to resume to normal operations.
Along with driving and flying, AAA predicts 2.48 million people will travel by bus, train or cruise.
Best and worst times to travel for Thanksgiving
Here’s a breakdown of the best times to travel by car for Thanksgiving, according to INRIX:
| Date | Worst travel time | Best travel time |
| Tuesday, Nov. 25 | 12 p.m. – 9 p.m. | Before 12 p.m. |
| Wednesday, Nov. 26 | 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Before 11 a.m. |
| Thursday, Nov. 27 | Minimal traffic impact expected | Minimal traffic impact expected |
| Friday, Nov. 28 | 1 p.m – 7 p.m. | Before 11 a.m. |
| Saturday, Nov. 29 | 1 p.m. – 8 p.m. | Before 10 a.m. |
| Sunday, Nov. 30 | 11 a.m. – 8 p.m. | Before 11 a.m. |
| Monday, Dec. 1 | 12 p.m. – 8 p.m. | After 8 p.m. |
Top Thanksgiving travel destinations
Orlando leads the list of U.S. destinations for Thanksgiving, while Paris is among the top cities Americans will visit overseas, according to AAA:
| Domestic | International/Caribbean |
| Orlando, Florida | Paris, France |
| Fort Lauderdale, Florida | Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Miami, Florida | Vienna, Austria |
| Anaheim/Los Angeles, California | Cancun, Mexico |
| Tampa, Florida | Punta Cana, Dominican Republic |
| New York, New York | Basel, Switzerland |
| San Francisco, California | Sydney, Australia |
| Honolulu, Hawaii | Barcelona, Spain |
| Las Vegas, Nevada | Budapest, Hungary |
| Atlanta, Georgia | Oranjestad, Aruba |
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