When to Drive During Thanksgiving
It’s November which means Halloween is behind us, and it’s officially the holiday season.
Whether this brings you joy or turns your smile upside down at the thought of increased responsibilities or commitments, one thing is for sure: travel just got a whole lot busier and a bit more difficult.
Although Thanksgiving is one of the busiest times for flight travel all year, not everyone will be taking to the air for turkey dinner. Using data from popular travel application Waze, we’ve put together a day-by-day breakdown for the busiest travel times during each day of this thankful week. Hopefully this information will help you plan accordingly to avoid the congested mess that Thanksgiving travel brings. We understand that avoiding travel might not be an option, but we’re hoping this will help!
Tuesday 11/22:
Morning traffic will be quieter than normal, but by 1pm expect traffic to begin to ramp up. 4pm-8pm will be the busiest time on the roads today.
Wednesday 11/23:
There will be lighter traffic in the morning than we’re used to seeing on an average weekday, with early departures positively affecting your work commute. By 11am, expect the roads to start crowding with peak traffic between 3pm-7pm.
Thursday 11/24:
Happy Thanksgiving! Traffic should be light and similar to a regular weekend day. Get off the roads and go eat some turkey.
Friday 11/25:
Traffic will behave similar to a weekend day. Most people will be off the roads, but it will likely be busy near large shopping center intersections.
Saturday 11/26:
Thursday and Friday were your two days of this week that behave like regular weekend traffic. Expect some early departures and an overall increase on traffic for the entire day.
Sunday 11/27:
Yes, you have work tomorrow. Yes, you need to go home if you haven’t already. Traffic will be heaviest between 1pm-6pm, so do your best to leave in the morning or later evening. Regardless of when you’ll leave, however, expect heavier traffic than usual.
