AAA Travel predicts 53.4 million Americans will travel for Thanksgiving, up 13% from 2020.
According to the latest data from AAA Travel, the combination of 6.4 million more vacationers this year and the reopening of US borders to fully vaccinated international tourists will result in increased road and airport congestion.
Estimated totals for 2021 would bring travel volume 5% of pre-2019 levels. As people will get to their destination, 90% of Americans plan to travel by car even though gasoline costs more than a dollar per gallon than it did this time last year.
For those planning commercial flights, the limited capacity of flights and staffing challenges can create booking and travel problems. According to AAA Travel, Americans should consider working with a travel advisor who can make last minute changes to travel plans, explore travel insurance options, and more.
“Travel this Thanksgiving will be very different from last year,” said Paula Twidale, senior vice president of AAA Travel. “With the borders open and new health and safety guidelines in place, travel is back at the top of the list of Americans ready to meet with loved ones for vacation.”
“The reopening of international travel will allow people to reconnect with friends and family and explore new places, while also giving the economy a much-needed boost,” continued Twidale. “But it also means the airports will be busier than we’ve ever seen, so travelers will have to plan in longer queues and extra time for TSA checks.”
For vacation travelers this Thanksgiving, the top 10 domestic destinations are Orlando, Anaheim, Dallas, Phoenix, Honolulu, Kahului, Atlanta, Tampa, and Fort Lauderdale.
International travel is also recovering thanks to the easing of long-standing restrictions, with Cancun, Montego Bay, Aruba, Los Cabos, Nassau, St. Lucia, Dublin, Tel Aviv, Calgary and Paris rounding off the most desirable destinations this vacation season.
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