AAA released its annual estimation of what to expect if you're traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday, and this year, another record-setting number of travelers is expected.
According to AAA, more than 4.5 million Floridians will travel 50 or more for the Thanksgiving holiday. If that number comes to fruition, it will be an all-time high for Thanksgiving and an increase of more than 100,000 travelers by 2023.
Most travelers will be hitting Florida's already overcrowded highways and interstates. AAA said of the 4.5 million Floridians traveling at least 50 miles over Thanksgiving, 4.1 million will travel by car.
For comparison, AAA said 289,168 Floridians are expected to travel by air over Thanksgiving, and 82,343 will use what AAA titled "other" modes of transportation.
Nationally, AAA said 79.9 million travelers will travel at least 50 miles for Thanksgiving. That's roughly 2% growth year-over-year, or an additional 1.7 million people traveling.
AAA said gas prices may help increase traffic along with cheaper car rental prices. However, the average price of a domestic hotel stay has jumped 28% from 2023, and airfares are up 3% from last year.
If you're curious about when the best time to drive over the holiday weekend, AAA and Inrix put together a list to help you navigate the traffic.
DATE | WORST TIME TO DRIVE | BEST TIME TO DRIVE |
Monday, November 26 | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Before 11 a.m. |
Tuesday, November 26 | 1:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Before 11 a.m. |
Wednesday, November 27 | 1:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. | Before 11 am.. |
Thanksgiving | Minimal Traffic Impact Expected | Minimal Traffic Impact Expected |
Friday, November 29 | 7:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. | After 1 p.m. |
Saturday, November 30 | 4:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. | Before 1 p.m. |
Sunday, December 1 | 12:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Before 1 p.m. |
Monday, December 2 | 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Before 8 a.m./After 7 p.m. |
While many children have plenty of presents under the Christmas tree, that's not always the case for foster children. ABC Action News reporter Keely McCormick spoke to a 16-year-old who spent most of her life in and out of foster care about life in the system around Christmas.
