Gas prices in Indiana have dropped to an average of $2.902, compared to last year’s $3.132. (FILE PHOTO: WTIU News)
AAA predicts nearly 80 million people will be traveling for Thanksgiving, an increase of 1.7 million people since last year. Of those 80 million, almost 1.9 million will be Hoosiers.
Christina Griffiths, manager of public affairs and communications for AAA Hoosier Motor Club, said about 2.4 percent more people in Indiana are traveling this Thanksgiving compared to last year. Indiana has been breaking travel records every single year since the pandemic.
“Some of that could still be some of that revenge travel, where people couldn't go anywhere for a year or two years, and now they're finally feeling comfortable to travel again,” Griffiths said.
Another reason more people could be traveling this year, Griffiths said, is because gas prices have gone down. Gas prices in Indiana have dropped to an average of $2.902, compared to last year’s $3.132. And of the 1.9 million people traveling, approximately 1.7 million people will be driving. That’s two percent more people driving this year compared to last year.
The number of Hoosiers traveling for Thanksgiving has increased every year since 2020. (Courtesy AAA)
“Indiana is a big driving state, so we do still see the majority of that,” she said.
The majority of travelers nationally, 71.74 million people, will also be driving. That’s 1.3 million more people on the road compared to last year, and just over a million more people compared to 2019 before the pandemic hit.
When it comes to flying, about 159,000 of the 1.9 million Hoosiers traveling are expected to be in the air.
“So last year we saw 153,000 people that were flying across Thanksgiving, and this year it's looking like just under 159,000 so that's a 3.8 percent increase,” she said. “So, even though the number of people that are flying has still increased from last year, again, we're still seeing so many more people driving.”
Approximately 5.84 million people are expected to travel by plane domestically, an increase of two percent compared to 2023. While the number of domestic flight bookings is comparable to last year, people are spending three percent more on domestic flights this Thanksgiving. The average price for a domestic roundtrip ticket is $700. Because the cost to fly internationally has decreased five percent since last year, international flight bookings are up 23 percent. The average price for an international roundtrip ticket is $1,190.
“Flying domestically is three percent more expensive, so the cost of flying is up compared to last year,” Griffiths said. “Hotels are actually up a lot, 28 percent for this year than last year.”
The remaining 54,000 Hoosiers traveling are projected to do so by other modes of transportation, such as buses, cruises and trains. Cruise bookings are up 20 percent over last year. Nationally, nearly 2.3 million people, nine percent more than last year, are expected to travel by other modes of transportation.
This year’s top domestic destinations are Orlando, Miami and Fort Lauderdale. Internationally, Budapest, Mexicali, Mexico and San Juan, Puerto Rico are the top three destinations.
For the first time ever, this year’s numbers span from Tuesday, November 26 through Monday, December 2, instead of Wednesday through Sunday.
Roads are expected to be busiest Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, Friday morning and Saturday and Sunday afternoon. AAA recommends people travel before noon if driving early in the week or during the weekend, and after 1 p.m. if driving the Friday after Thanksgiving. Roads are also expected to be especially busy Monday morning.
“Monday morning after Thanksgiving can be really crazy for traffic, because you not only have people traveling back home, but you're also dealing with rush hour traffic that's just typical from Monday morning,” Griffiths said. “You've got kind of a mix of people out there on the road.”
Weather could impact travel plans; the Weather Channel projects some rainfall and gusty winds in portions of the Great Lakes, South and Eastern U.S. Rain and a wintry mix is expected to pass through Indiana Wednesday, with temperatures dropping to below freezing going into the weekend.
