Nov 24, 2025 By Paul Paterra 3 min read

A record number of people are expected to travel “over the river and through the woods” this Thanksgiving to visit friends and family or simply to get away.

AAA is projecting 81.8 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home over the Thanksgiving holiday period, which starts Tuesday and runs through Monday, Dec. 1. The busiest travel days are expected to be the days leading up to Thanksgiving and Sunday, Nov. 30.

This year’s domestic travel forecast includes an additional 1.6 million travelers compared to 2024, setting a new overall record. Thanksgiving historically is the single busiest holiday for travel.

“(There’s going to be) a lot of people,” said Jim Garrity, director of public affairs for AAA East Central. “We’ve seen a lot of excitement around travel the last couple of years. … I think what we’re seeing is people aren’t putting anything on hold and they are getting back out there to see family and friends that maybe they haven’t seen in a while.”

“People are traveling,” agreed Candice Bentz, travel consultant for Worldview Travel in Washington. “Everybody is searching for a deal. There was a little bit of a halt during the government shutdown as there were a lot of delays and cancellations. People still want to get away. When it’s cold they want to be some place warm. People still want to get away for the holidays.”

AAA is projecting at least 73 million people will drive to their holiday destination, accounting for nearly 90% of Thanksgiving travel.

The Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission is projecting 3,395,000 vehicles will use the highway from Tuesday through Sunday. Wednesday is predicted to be the heaviest traffic day, with 705,000 motorists expected.

To ensure as many travel lanes as possible are open, the Turnpike is suspending all construction and routine maintenance work from 5 a.m. Tuesday until 11 p.m. Sunday.

The Turnpike, as well as Pennsylvania State Police, will have increased personnel on the roadway throughout the holiday week as part of the GEICO Safety Patrol initiative, which provides free roadside assistance to stranded motorists.

Gas prices are consistent with this time last year, Garrity noted.

“Barring any outlying factors there shouldn’t be any surprises at the pump,” he said. “You may see prices go up a little bit because of demand, but oil prices have remained pretty stable. That’s usually most of the conversation about gas prices going up and down.”

Though air travel hasn’t returned to normal since the federal government shutdown ended, 6 million travelers are expected to take domestic flights during the holiday period, reflecting a 2% increase over 2024, AAA reports.

The Federal Aviation Administration says flight reductions of up to 10% will continue across 40 major U.S. markets until staffing and safety levels stabilize.

“You never know when you can run into potential delays at the airport,” Garrity said. “Even weather can slow things down. If you’re flying, you want to have a Plan B in place no matter what, so if you need to implement your contingency plan, it’s ready to go and you’re not scrambling at the last minute.”