With Christmas and the start of Chanukah less than a week away, it's going to be busy on the roads with people driving to their holiday destinations.
With that, comes knowing when to get behind the wheel.
The message from AAA is simple: get an early start. Over the next several days, experts say those midday, late afternoon, and evening travel times will be extremely busy.
"The early bird, the night owl, if you are good with getting up and getting out early, those are going to be the ideal times to travel," said Tracy Nobel, spokesperson for AAA of Greater Hartford.
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According to AAA, the best times to travel this weekend are:
Saturday, December 21: Before 2 p.m.
Sunday, December 22: Before 12 p.m.
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Monday, December 23: Before 11 a.m.
The worst times to travel this weekend are:
Saturday, December 21: 4 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Sunday, December 22: 3 p.m. - 8 p.m.
Monday, December 23: 1 p.m. - 6 p.m.
"I'm a school bus driver, and I literally parked my school bus and jumped in the car yesterday and started driving," said WIlliam Coffman of Baltimore, Maryland.
Coffman and his family are traveling from Baltimore, Maryland to Madison, Maine, for Christmas, and he says they were stuck in some heavy traffic before stopping in Connecticut Friday night.
"I mean, everyone who is trying to be on the East Coast is going up this way, and it was a little rough getting through New Jersey and the George Washington Bridge is always a challenge," said Coffman.
That's why he and a few other travelers got an early on start on Saturday.
"We actually almost left last night, but the traffic sounded really, really thick last night so. We left at 5:30 in the morning," said Mia Rocchio from Philadelphia.
Rocchio was driving through the Nutmeg State to be with her family in the Green Mountain State.
"My partner and I are traveling from Philly back home. He has family in Connecticut, and I have family in New Hampshire and Vermont," said Rocchio.
Another woman has done quite a bit of traveling already, flying in from Saudia Arabia to be with her family in Boston, trading in the heat for cold.
"It's such a big switch, but it's really nice. I love the cold, I love the winter, so it's really nice."
No matter where your celebrations are, AAA urges drivers to be cautious and alert every time you get behind the wheel this holiday season.
"We've got 90% of those traveling going by car, so, please make sure you are driving the speed limit, driving sober all the time. Make sure everybody is buckled up while they're in the vehicle, and the kids are in the proper car seats. And, please, put the cell phones down," said Noble.
AAA expects it to be less busy on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, but keep in mind there will be heavy traffic after that.
The times to avoid being on the road after Christmas are:
Thursday, December 26th: 12 p.m. - 5 p.m.
Friday, December 27: 3 p.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday, December 28: 1:30 p.m. - 7 p.m.
