You Thought Traveling Home For Thanksgiving Last Year Was A Challenge? This Year is Set To Break Records With Millions Of People Flying And Driving Home For The Holidays Or Heading For Fun And Sun. Here’s How To Survive The Madness.
by Heather Cassell
Let the holiday craziness begin. Halloween is now in the rearview mirror and so is the midterm election.
Now all eyes are on Thanksgiving with Christmas and New Year’s Eve following soon after.
More people are traveling more than 50 miles from home to all the turkey, stuffing, green bean casserole, and mashed potatoes they can eat more than a dozen years … actually since 2005, according to the American Automobile Association.
This year is already on track to be record-breaking with more than 54 million people taking off in the air and hitting the road for Thanksgiving. That number is by 2.5 million more people, a 4.8 percent increase over 2017’s Thanksgiving weekend, taking to roads, rails, skis, and waterways, according to AAA.
The Transportation Security Administration estimates 25 million flights will be taking off from airports around the country during Thanksgiving. That’s a 7 percent increase in Thanksgiving travel from last year.
If the skies are packed with more than 153,000 travelers (if last year’s Thanksgiving week numbers can make a prediction for this year) the roads will be jammed too.
A majority of Thanksgiving travelers take road trips. Approximately 48.5 million Americans will drive filling up freeways and clogging city streets this year, according to AAA.
That’s a lot of people packing their bags, driving to the airport and waiting to go through security or lining up on the roads in traffic jams and not all of them are going home for the holidays.
Traditionally, the day before Thanksgiving was one of the busiest travel days of the year. Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after the holiday is projected to make it into the TSA’s top 10 busiest days ever, according to AAA.
However, that’s also all changing. Thinking about spending some extra time with the family or taking a little extra vacation during Thanksgiving? You’re not alone. According to the TSA, more people are starting to kick off their holiday week the Friday before Thanksgiving and extending it to the Sunday or Monday after the holiday.
Not everyone is going home for the holidays. Warm weather destinations and theme parks are pushing out cold weather destinations as the Thanksgiving top 10 places to go, with the exception of New York and Washington, D.C., according to AAA.
Here are some tips and tricks on how to navigate the Thanksgiving and the rest of the holiday travel season.
Air
Be prepared. Leave extra early to the airport, especially if you are flying out of O’Hare International Airport in Chicago where it can take up to an hour and 40 minutes just to get to the airport, according to AAA. Journey’s to area airports in New York and Los Angeles rank only slightly below Chicago.
San Francisco International Airport is expected to be extra busy. Eight out of the Thanksgiving week flights start or end in the City by the Bay, reported Lonely Planet, with the most popular route being between Los Angeles and San Francisco. So, be prepared for delays San Francisco Bay Area travelers.
Other favorite Thanksgiving travel flight routes are between Chicago and New York, Kahului and Honolulu, and Los Angeles and New York.
- Use technology.
There are a number of websites and apps that can help ease the journey.
Organize every step of your trip with the TripIt app. Simply forward your flight itinerary, hotel or accommodation reservations, tours and activities, and reservations and the app will automatically build your itinerary and send you important alerts and reminders throughout your trip, alert you to your baggage claim destination, and help you keep track of any refunds.
Checking in? One of the best new ways to check-in, if you have only carry-on luggage, is AirlineCheckins. The program and app will check-in for you and send your boarding pass to your email after you’ve forwarded your travel itinerary. It will even include your traveler number on your boarding pass and update your air carrier’s mileage program information after you’ve entered it into the program.
Download your airline’s app for departure time changes, gate changes, and other information about your flight.
- Sign up for travel programs.
Skip the extra-long lines and the hassle of taking your shoes off and unpacking your electronic gadgets by joining Clear, Global Entry and TSA’s Pre-Check programs. These programs work in different ways to speed up the process to get to your flight or re-enter the U.S.
Clear and Global Entry allows travelers at participating airports to legally cut in the long line and sail past everyone else just standing there and waiting to be processed. TSA Pre-Check allows travelers to get through the physical security screening process quickly because you don’t have to remove any clothing or unpack. All three of these programs working together make taking off and coming home a breeze, especially if you travel often or have a phobia about holiday travel.
It’s too late to sign up for and enjoy Pre-Check and Global Entry this Thanksgiving. The application process takes several weeks to get the appointment and another several weeks to get the letter of approval with your known traveler number or your Trusted Traveler membership number, also known as your Pass ID, with your Global Entry Card. But seriously consider all or one of these programs to ease the stress of traveling TSA Pre-Check is $85 to travel hassle-free through security screening for five years. Global Entry costs $100 to get through U.S. Customs and Border Patrol hassle-free for five years
Still in the line? Be kind to your fellow travelers. Look up and use the TSA packing checklist so you don’t hold up the security line or get pulled aside while an agent unpacks your carefully packed bag in front of your fellow travelers. Have any TSA questions? Download the MyTSA app. The app quickly allows you to check on any delays or weather conditions, which airports and airlines are a part of the TSA Pre-Check program, get live assistance via AskTSA social media integration, and more.
Heading in and out of the country, try the Mobile Passport app to quickly get through customs. The app helps Americans and Canadians zip through United States Customs by uploading passport control and customs declaration information to their iPhone or iPad and bypass the regular line to enter the U.S. at 24 airports and three cruise ports.
- Dress simply to the airport. It’s not a fashion show. This will help keep you and your fellow travelers moving through security.
- Make sure you have everything with you when you leave the security area. It’s not uncommon for people to leave boarding passes, IDs, wallets, laptops, smartphones, and tablets; among other things, TSA reported. So, double check those bins before you dash off to your gate or the nearest bar!
- If you haven’t booked your tickets yet take advantage. Deals are still available with the average ticket price for Thanksgiving booked between now and November 15 being $459. Book flights that are early in the morning to noon. These flights experience the least amount of disruptions, according to AAA.
Of course, there might be limited availability. Don’t forget to check Thanksgiving Day for flights for deals and low crowds.
- If you find your flight canceled, delayed or overbooked, try contacting AirHelp, an air passenger rights advocacy startup to advocate for you while you enjoy time with your family.
Road
Buckle up and enjoy the ride. Peak travel time is estimated to take up to four times longer than normal to get to that Thanksgiving dinner table.
The worst cities and times to be on the road around the United States this Thanksgiving are:
Monday, 2 – 4 p.m.: Houston
Tuesday, 4 – 8 p.m.: Atlanta, Boston, Detroit, New York, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.
Wednesday, 1 – 4:30 p.m.: Chicago, San Francisco, and Los Angeles
Experts anticipate that San Francisco will be one of the worst-hit cities with traffic.
Gas prices are also sky high, the highest in the last four years, according to AAA.
However, travelers who are renting cars to get to their destination will see the price fall a bit.
Thanksgiving road warriors, the only way to save is to join your favorite gas station’s loyalty rewards program to rack up those gas points or join Costco to take advantage of its low gas prices.
However, way you get to your Thanksgiving destination where ever it is, Girls That Roam hopes you have a safe journey and enjoy your time with your family and friends.
Book your next adventure with Girls That Roam Travel. Contact Heather Cassell at Girls That Roam Travel at 415-517-7239 or at .
To contract an original article, purchase reprints or become a media partner, contact .
