We are still a few days away from the start of the holiday season but the push to get to your Thanksgiving destination is already in full swing.

Shanay Lowery left LaGuardia Airport early Tuesday morning to take her entire family to see her father out-of-state for the holiday.

"I don't like crowds and I don't like feeling like I'm tight like a sardine and I have the baby so I have to make sure her first trip is comfortable," she said.

More than 80 million Americans are expected to travel for the holiday which would break records.

Airport congestion is expected to pick up on Tuesday and Wednesday, particularly as wet and stormy weather bears down on the East Coast for Thanksgiving Day.

Many travelers weren't taking any chances.

"We left at 5:30 and my flight is at 10, so I'm going to be hanging around for a while," Wendy Zoeller said on her way to her flight to Myrtle Beach.

"It's better to do it this way and be a little bit early than be late," Nicole Morrissey said catching the same flight. "Usually, I like waiting until the last minute so this is a nice change."

Travel experts recommend traveling early to account for delays and having a backup plan in case of expected cancellations.

Poppy Hammond was on her way to see family in Detroit and said she learned from her previous experience flying out of LaGuardia on a holiday.

"I came here in the summer and as well as the Fourth of July and it was a complete nightmare and I went in the evening, the flight was delayed so I was like I want to get out as soon as I can," she said.

Port Authority of New York and New Jersey officials are also bracing for a record-breaking number of travelers this week, particularly at JFK and LaGuardia Airports.