It’s days away from Thanksgiving and AAA is predicting it will be the third busiest of all-time.  

AAA projects 54.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving, a 1.5% increase over 2021 and 98% of pre-pandemic volumes. 

This year is projected to be the third busiest for Thanksgiving travel with only 2005 and 2019 seeing more travelers. 

Nearly 49 million people are expected to drive, AAA says.  

Air travel is up nearly 8% over 2021, with 4.5 million Americans flying to their Thanksgiving destination.

Meanwhile, more than 1.4 million travelers are going out of town for Thanksgiving by bus, train, or cruise ship, an increase of 23% from 2021 and 96% of the 2019 volume. 

“Travel has nearly returned to normal and people are eager to see family and friends, making for a busy Thanksgiving holiday,” said Robert Sinclair, Jr., of AAA Northeast. 

To avoid the most hectic times, AAA recommends traveling early in the morning on Wednesday or before 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day and avoiding travel between 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday of Thanksgiving week. 

AAA predicts the Long Island Expressway westbound at Exit 44 to Exit 16 is expected to see an increase of 21% than typical travel volume.