As Thanksgiving approaches, AAA is urging people to plan ahead for a busy holiday travel season. AAA is projecting this will be the biggest holiday season of the year.
AAA predicts 80 million people will travel in the United States, with more than 3.5 million of those traveling across New England and more than 839,000 of those being Connecticut residents.
“The roads are going to be extremely busy with about 87% of those travelers going by car, so expect the traffic,” said Tracy Noble with AAA.
The bulk of travelers are expected to hit the roads and 87.5% of Connecticut travelers are expected to drive to their Thanksgiving destination. With holiday travel increasing all year and lower gas prices, Noble said this is expected.
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"Thanksgiving is the time where people just simply get together to share a meal with friends. It’s also often the time where college students get to return home for their first big extended time period, so people are gathering and this is no surprise because we’ve seen increases in travel,” Noble explained.
Dominic Dorce from New Britain said he does not plan to travel. He will spend the holiday with his family in New Britain. However, he is concerned about the traffic for local commuters.
"The traffic, it’s just too much. Too many,” Dorce said. “If you have to, you do it, but if you don’t have to, it’s better to stay home.”
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Noble said the increases in travel is due to changes in the way people work, travel, and spend their holidays, post-pandemic.
“People are heading out early and they’re returning after the weekend and hybrid work schedules have a lot to do with that,” she said. “Post-pandemic people had an urge to travel and now we’re seeing that people like experiences and adventures and do things to make memories rather than purchasing an item.”
Noble also said there's a 4.6% increase in alternate modes of transportation for people in Connecticut including buses, trains, and cruises.
AAA is urging people to take this weekend to plan ahead by checking your car and preparing an emergency kit in case you get stranded on the side of the road.
“Make sure that your vehicle is in good working order. Check your tires, the tread tire pressure. Have them rotated if necessary. Also make sure your battery is in good working condition," she explained. "You also want to refresh that vehicle emergency kit. So make sure you’ve got jumper cables a small toolkit, reflective triangles or flares, throw in an extra pair of gloves, non-perishable food items, water, and a blanket."
2024 Projected Thanksgiving Holiday Travelers – Connecticut
