Record 81.8 Million Americans to Travel for Thanksgiving 2025

AAA forecasts a record-breaking 81.8 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday period (Tuesday, Nov. 25 to Monday, Dec. 1), up 1.6 million from last year and the busiest Thanksgiving on record. Nearly 73 million will drive (up 1.3 million), 6 million will fly domestically (up 2%), and almost 2.5 million will take buses, trains, or cruises (up 8.5%).

Gas prices are similar to last year’s $3.06 national average, while domestic round-trip airfares average $700 and car rentals are 15% cheaper. Top destinations include Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Miami, Anaheim/Los Angeles, and Tampa domestically, and Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Cancún, and Punta Cana internationally.

INRIX warns of severe congestion Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons and Sunday returns, with some routes seeing delays over 160%. AAA and MADD urge planning sober rides, noting drunk-driving crashes claimed 868 lives during the 2019–2023 Thanksgiving periods.