Are you hitting the road for the Thanksgiving holiday? You’ll be one of 49-million people, according to AAA (the American Automobile Association), who reports that number is just 0.4% more than last year, but enough to make it the third busiest Thanksgiving since they started tracking holiday traffic back in 2000.
“Plan ahead and pack your patience,” recommends Paula Twidale, AAA’s Senior Vice President of Travel. Timing is everything, according to the navigation app Waze, which has predicted when traffic will be the best and worst during the holiday week so drivers can plan accordingly.
- For drivers who want to be on the road with the lightest traffic, Waze advises that the best strategy is to leave on Monday, November 21st and return home the day after Thanksgiving, on Friday, November 25th. Those are the two days Waze predicts will have the lowest car volume for the week.
- On the flip side, the two busiest travel days of the holiday week are expected to be Wednesday, November 23rd, the day before Thanksgiving, and Saturday, November 26th.
- Somewhere in the middle are Tuesday, November 22nd and Sunday, November 27th, which Waze expects to have comparatively moderate traffic.
- AAA recommends those traveling by car should get on the road before 11a.m. to deal with the fewest hassles, and try to avoid crossovers with commuters on weekday afternoons. Also avoid traveling between 4p.m. and 8p.m. on weekend days
The cities Waze predicts to have the worst traffic congestion during the holiday week are:
- New York
- Washington, D.C.
- Los Angeles
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Miami
- Philadelphia
- Dallas-Fort Worth
- Chicago
- Houston
Source: Forbes