Auto Club: Record Number of Southern Californians and Americans Set to Travel This Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 2024 travel forecast video soundbites in English from Auto Club Spokesperson Gianella Ghiglino

Thanksgiving 2024 travel forecast video soundbites in Spanish from Auto Club Spokesperson Anlleyn Venegas

The Automobile Club of Southern California projects 6.58 million SoCal residents will head 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period*,a 2.8% increase over last year's record number of travelers. For the first time, AAA's forecast includes the Tuesday before and the Monday after Thanksgiving Day to better capture the flow of holiday travelers.

This year's Thanksgiving travel volume in Southern California is also 3.5% higher than the pre-pandemic Thanksgiving holiday in 2019, when 6.4 million local residents took holiday getaways.

Nationwide, AAA is also projecting this Thanksgiving to be the busiest on record, with 79.86 million travelers expected compared to 78.1 million in 2023 and 77.8 million in 2019.

By the Numbers

"Travel volumes for major holidays this year have consistently surpassed pre-pandemic levels, and the Thanksgiving holiday will be no exception," said Jena Miller, the Auto Club's vice president for travel products and services. "This trend highlights growing consumer confidence to travel as families and friends jump on the opportunity to reconnect, whether through shared vacations or trips to visit loved ones."

Gas Prices

Thanksgiving travelers in Southern California will pay the lowest average gas prices for this holiday since the pandemic year of 2020. Average prices in most local metro areas are at or near $4.50 a gallon. To find the cheapest gas prices closest to your location, use the AAA Mobile app, and visit gasprices.aaa.com to find the average gas prices at your destination or calculate the estimated gas cost for your Thanksgiving trip.

Top Destinations

Southern Californians will continue to visit their favorite destinations this holiday weekend, including San Diego, Las Vegas, the Central Coast, the Grand Canyon, Disneyland and national parks in California. Mexico continues to be the top cruise destination locally, while Hawaii is the top air destination.

Nationwide, according to AAA Travel booking data, the top destinations are:

DOMESTIC	INTERNATIONAL
Orlando, FL	Budapest, Hungary
Miami, FL	Mexicali, Mexico
Fort Lauderdale, FL	San Juan, Puerto Rico
New York, NY	Cancun, Mexico
Anaheim/Los Angeles, CA	Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
Tampa, FL	Rome, Italy
Honolulu, HI	Amsterdam, Netherlands
San Francisco, CA	Paris, France
Las Vegas, NV	Barcelona, Spain
Atlanta, GA	Munich, Germany

Travel Tips

• If traveling by automobile, make sure your vehicle maintenance is up-to-date and your tires and battery are in good condition. AAA expects to respond to more than 140,000 calls for help in California over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. If you need some help getting your vehicle road trip ready, visit AAA.com/AAR to find a reputable AAA-Approved Auto Repair facility near you.
• Air travelers should plan to arrive at the airport at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours ahead of time for international departures. The Auto Club recommends people who drive themselves to the airport to reserve a parking space to make sure you have one, download your airline's app and check-in for your flight at home to avoid long lines at kiosks in the terminal.

Busy Roads

According to the transportation analytics firm INRIX, Tuesday, Nov. 26 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. will be the overall busiest time to travel by car, with an average 38% increase in travel time compared to typical traffic volume. The worst traffic congestion in Southern California is expected to be on the evening of Wednesday, Nov. 27 on northbound Interstate 5 between Los Angeles and Bakersfield, when the travel time is projected to more than double to nearly four hours. Other heavily impacted routes will be Interstate 10 in Los Angeles and Riverside counties, and Interstate 15 in San Diego County. All outbound freeways are likely to be congested on Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons before Thanksgiving, so drivers should expect longer travel times during those periods and plan to leave early.

About AAA

Started in 1902 by automotive enthusiasts who wanted to chart a path for better roads in America and advocate for safe mobility, AAA has transformed into one of North America's largest membership organizations. Today, AAA provides roadside assistance, travel, discounts, financial and insurance services to enhance the life journey of 64 million members across North America, including 57 million in the United States. To learn more about all AAA has to offer or to become a member, visit AAA.com.

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*Thanksgiving Holiday Travel Period

For this forecast, the Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as the seven-day period from Tuesday, November 26 to Monday, December 2. This is the first year the Thanksgiving forecast is a longer timeframe to include the Tuesday before the holiday and the Monday after. Historically, AAA only looked at Wednesday through Sunday.

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