2.6 million Michiganders expected to travel over Thanksgiving weekend
(CBS DETROIT) — Michiganders are expected to hit the road in record numbers over Thanksgiving weekend.
According to AAA, nearly 2.6 million Michigan residents will travel 50 miles or more for the holiday. That's an all-time high for Thanksgiving travel and 65,000 more travelers than in 2023.
"We expect to see record travel numbers across the board," said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA. "With more people taking to the roads, skies, rails, and sea; travelers should expect congested roads and longer lines at transportation terminals. AAA encourages travelers to develop their plan now and consider travel insurance, which provides compensation for flight cancellations, delays, and lost luggage."
Of the 2.6 million Michiganders expected to travel, nearly 2.3 million will drive, more than 217,000 will fly, and another 74,000 will travel by bus, cruise or train. AAA considers the Thanksgiving holiday travel period as stretching from Tuesday, Nov. 26 to Monday, Dec. 2.
According to INRIX, Tuesday, Nov. 26, and Wednesday, Nov. 27 are expected to be the busiest days to travel by car, while Thanksgiving Day is the best time to hit the road as highways are typically clear. INRIX says drivers returning home on the Sunday of Thanksgiving weekend should leave early in the morning.
"With a record number of travelers expected to be on the road, drivers should follow traffic apps and local news alerts to avoid major delays," said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. "This is especially important for drivers in metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, LA, Seattle, and Washington, DC, where traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day."
Nationwide, 79.9 million are projected to travel over the Thanksgiving weekend — about 1.7 million more than the previous record set last year and 2 million more than in 2019. Thanksgiving air travel is also expected to shatter previous records, with 5.84 million people projected to fly domestically over the holiday — an increase of 2% from last year and 11% from 2019.