This Thanksgiving is expected to be a busy one for travel no matter how you’re getting to or from your destination.
“We are predicting 4.6 million people in SoCal will take a trip of 50 miles or more away from home from wed. through sun. of thanksgiving week,” said Doug Shupe, a spokesperson for the American Automobile Association (AAA).
Shupe said that AAA predicts the majority of those travelers will be driving.
Travel this year in at least the Southern part of the state is predicted to be up 3.5% from numbers in 2019.
Holiday travel by plane in Southern California is expected to go up 10% this Thanksgiving compared to 2019.
“Of the 4.6 million taking a trip, 3.7 million will take a road trip. About 566,000 southern Californians will fly somewhere, and about 120,000 will take another mode of transportation,” added Shupe.
James Mckee lives in Southern California and was on the Central Coast on Sunday for work. He'll be one of the millions of drivers on the road this week. He told KSBY News that he’s heading to Arizona to participate in a circle boat race once again with his family.
“We always have a big Thanksgiving gathering wherever the races are,” said Mckee.
Mckee said because of the Covid 19 pandemic, his family wasn't able to race for two years.
“There was no racing all 2020 or 2021 and then at the very end of the pandemic we started traveling to Arizona because that was the only race available at La Paz County Park,” said Mckee.
He's planning ahead and expecting lots of traffic.
“We plan to leave Monday because I know Sunday, I've done it years before, the traffic is horrible,” said Mckee.
AAA predicts the busiest travel days will be Wednesday ahead of Thanksgiving and the Sunday after.
“The best way to avoid the peak traffic is to leave as early in the day as you possibly can,” recommended Shupe.
Shupe says travel is picking up again post pandemic with people feeling more comfortable traveling and seeing each other.
“It's one of those holidays where people want to connect and be with other loved ones, friends and family,” said Shupe.
Gil Trans from Guadalupe is heading north to visit his sister for the holiday and said he’s not worried about the commute.
“The plan for Thanksgiving is to go to Clovis, California where I grew up,” said Trans.
"She’s my sister and I love to spend time with her, I'm used to the road and defensive driving,” said Trans.
Shupe recommends air travelers to get to the airport two hours ahead and three hours early if you're traveling internationally.
