Millions of Americans will take to the highways this week to get to their respective Thanksgiving gatherings—about 38.2 million in autos, to be exact, according to AAA. They account for roughly 90% of the 42.5 million people expected to travel 50 miles or more during the holiday weekend, which begins Wednesday and ends Sunday. That’s 4% more than the almost 41 million who ventured from home to enjoy the holiday last year, either by road or by air. What’s different this year, however, is researchers say this will be the first significant increase in travel during any holiday this year. Both Independence Day and Labor Day saw decreases of more than 2% in the number of travelers this year, which is a fairly significant drop, according to AAA. Over the past 30 years, travel has increased an average of 1% per year. Higher gas prices and the still-stagnant economy are not expected to keep people near home for Thanksgiving this year. Regular unleaded gasoline is about 50 cents more per gallon than it was this time last year across the nation.
Today’s poll question: Will you be traveling over the upcoming holiday weekend?
