Far fewer Americans will be traveling over the Thanksgiving weekend this year than last, but a surprisingly large number still intend to hit the road, 56% this year compared to last year’s 70%, according to statistics compiled by TripAdvisor from several sources.
But ‘hit the road’ is definitely part of the story: 76% will drive to their destinations this year, and only 11% will fly. Obviously, one item that’s off the table is Thanksgiving-time cruises.
And the destinations for travel (other than to family events) have changed; central cities such as New York, New Orleans, Los Angeles and Nashville are showing big drops; the ups are for places like Key West and Key Largo in Florida and Sedona and Scottsdale in Arizona. Ironically, some of the cities have much lower infection rates.
The relatively local nature of Thanksgiving road trips shows in the traffic warnings; the heaviest days are Thanksgiving itself, and the day after, although 43% are reported to be extending their time to include either the days before or after.
