AAA Projects 81.5 Million Thanksgiving Travelers for November 24 to 30 Holiday Period
AAA has released its 2026 Thanksgiving travel forecast, projecting that 81.5 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles from home between Tuesday, November 24, and Monday, November 30. The figure is slightly below last year's 81.6 million, a decline of about 0.1%, or roughly 121,000 fewer travelers, ending a three-year streak of record Thanksgiving travel that began in 2023.
Driving remains the dominant mode by far. AAA projects 72.9 million people will travel by car, down from 73.1 million last year, a decrease of about 200,000. AAA attributed the dip in part to record-high monthly gas prices in August, September and October, noting that the national average price on Thanksgiving Day has never exceeded $4 per gallon, with the previous high of $3.58 set in 2022.
Air travel is also slightly lower. AAA projects 5.96 million travelers will take domestic flights, a decrease of 0.2% from last year.
Growth is concentrated in other modes. About 2.6 million Americans are projected to travel by bus, train or cruise, an increase of 4.1% from last year and the only category with a clear rise in this year's forecast.
On destinations, AAA booking data places Orlando among the most popular domestic Thanksgiving destinations, with several Florida cities remaining in high demand.
The forecast was prepared the week of October 12 in cooperation with S&P Global Market Intelligence, using the same seven-day holiday period applied since 2019. The figures are reported in person-trips.
Source: AAA
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：Miami 市区 Interstate 95 公路上的车流。作者：B137，CC0，维基共享资源。 / Photo: Traffic on Interstate 95 in Miami. Credit: B137, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
