Millions of people are expected to hit airports and highways in record numbers during the thanksgiving break. That’s despite a storm system moving through the east coast, bringing rain, snow, and severe thunderstorms, that’s causing delays. This Wednesday [November 22]
is typically expected to be among the busiest days to fly, along with the Sunday [November 26] after Thanksgiving.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expected to screen more than 5 million passengers from Tuesday through Wednesday. Sunday will draw the largest crowds with an estimated 2.9 million passengers, which would narrowly eclipse a record set on June 30. Meanwhile, an estimated 55.4 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles during the holiday weekend, with roads likely to be the most clogged on this Wednesday.
[The primary source for travel data originates from the National Household Travel Survey, from the Federal Highway Administration of the United States Department of Transportation.]
Lauren Duffy, Ph.D. is an Associate Professor in the Department of Parks, Recreation, and Tourism Management at Clemson University. Dr. Duffy specializes in resident-tourist relationships. She says people are expected to travel farther and longer this travel season. She says the change is likely a reflection of their confidence in being able to travel without concern. “Holiday travel has changed drastically over time because there are some things that COVID brought about that we're not likely to see change,” as Dr. Duffy adds, “a big trend that we have seen, uptick over the last couple of years as a reflection of COVID habits is the market of leisure travelers. Those are travelers that plan to blend both business and travel and leisure in the same trip.”
If you’re dreading having to deal with peak holiday traffic, Professor Duffy suggests leaving the day before or the day after the Sunday rush home. “So with regard to folks that are traveling by car this season, gas prices are steady, which is a great sign going into the season,” Duffy explains “and if you were planning to rent a car, prices are down about 17% from last year. So driving is certainly a great option this year, even though flights are competitive.”
Duffy says tourism is also an important sector during the holiday season. It helps spur and multiply a lot of the spending that’s happening. “Not just because we spend while we travel, but traveling is an expense that we like to put money and memory into when people are out moving around,” Duffy concludes, “whether that's back to local hometowns that they're from or regionally, you know, it helps to increase a lot of the local economies that can benefit from spending of travelers and visitors.”
