Community Corner

Thanksgiving Travel Expected to Increase — Are You Planning to Get Away this Holiday?

More people plan to travel over Thanksgiving than last year, and more than a million Georgians will be traveling somewhere by car.

Are you traveling this Thanksgiving? How far will you be going? Do you plan to drive, fly or take advantage of another means of transportation? Tell us in comments. 

According to AAA Auto Club South, Thanksgiving travel in the U.S. is expected to increase 4 percent this year from 2010.

More than 42.5 million Americans plan to take trips of 50 miles or more away from their homes between Wednesday, Nov. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 27.

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In Georgia, 1,188,757 people are expected to travel.

"This is definitely a positive sign for the travel industry,” Brent Hubele, vice president for AAA Travel, said in a news release. “Despite sluggish economic news, more people plan to travel this year than last, showing a slow, but steady recovery. Pent-up demand is likely the dominate factor contributing to the increase in the number of holiday travelers.”

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Auto travel remains the preferred method this holiday season, with 38.2 million Americans — 1,090,383 Georgians — traveling via automobile, also up 4 percent from last year. Auto travelers make up 90 percent of all holiday travelers.

The average distance traveled by Americans during the Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be 706 miles and the median spending is expected to be $554, a 12 percent increase from $495 last year. According to AAA Auto Club South, Thanksgiving holiday travel is typically less expensive than other travel holidays because of the emphasis on the Thanksgiving meal and gathering of friends and family.


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