Hopefully you have those flights and rental cars booked. This Thanksgiving is projected to be one of the busiest ever recorded for travel according to AAA.
“This is the third-busiest Thanksgiving ever since we’ve started recording in 2000. The only years that are busier than this one were 2005 and 2019 right before the pandemic,” AAA Government and Public Affairs Director Marie Dodds said.
While the heavy traffic implications may sound overwhelming, there is some good news for those planning to drive to their holiday destinations.
“Gas prices are quite a bit lower than they were a year ago for Thanksgiving. A year ago, over the Thanksgiving holiday, we paid the most expensive gas prices for a Thanksgiving holiday ever,” Dodds said.
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Dodds says 89% of travelers will be driving to their Thanksgiving destinations this season.
Andres Canada with Avis/Budget at Redmond Municipal Airport says to get those rental cars booked now if you haven’t yet.
“Definitely anticipating tons of people coming through here, upwards of thousands to hundreds of thousands,” Canada said. “Book online first. Booking anything larger would help in case of snow or ice. Just do your homework.”
Dodds asks drivers to travel with patience and to make sure your car is road trip ready, complete with an emergency kit.
Dodds says three Central Oregon cities made AAA’s Top 10 Regional Holiday Destinations list this year. Bend came in at No. 1 followed by Redmond at No. 4. La Pine made the list for the first time at No. 10.
