Thanksgiving travelers hit the road early to get ahead of bad weather
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- No matter the distance, more people are traveling by car this holiday.
"Five hours, we got a ways to go but we have the dog with us and we're happy," said Karen Raichart.
The Raicharts are on their way to Lancaster from Cleveland. They are one of many families passing through the Pennsylvania Turnpike to get to their destination this holiday.
Their ride is much shorter compared to the Heckamans who are from Michigan. "Five hours, we've got about seven-and-a-half to go maybe. My husband Chad and I are headed to Virginia," Bri Heckaman said.
AAA is predicting that at least 55 million Americans will travel this Thanksgiving holiday, the majority hitting the road.
"A lot of people, 49 million of them, will be driving this holiday weekend. So you don't want to be traveling through metropolitan areas at rush hour. So get up and get out early," said Lynda Lambert with AAA.
Monday's travelers are getting ahead of the bad weather, giving them more time to enjoy the holiday.
"We decided to make a big week of it," said Raichart.
Heckaman added, "It's scary, his mom's really worried about us on the roads this time, for sure, but I think we're good. Luckily we're going toward the warmer weather."