Hitting the road for Thanksgiving?
More than 671,000 people in the Philadelphia five-county area are expected to do some traveling this Thanksgiving week, an increase of 1.8% over last year. More than 595,000 Philadelphia-area residents (nearly 90% of local travelers) will be hitting the road, and nearly 63,000 Philadelphia-area residents (nearly 9% of local travelers) will travel by air, which is up more than 8% over last year.
Before you go, take into account when road are expected to be the busiest.
Get top local stories in Philly delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Philadelphia's News Headlines newsletter.
AAA Mid-Atlantic worked with INRIX to compile its travel time predictions.
When's the Worst Time to Hit the Road?
According to AAA Mid-Atlantic, the worst time to travel is Wednesday (Thanksgiving Eve), between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. The best times to travel on Wednesday is before 8 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
Transportation and Transit
If you’re returning Sunday, AAA suggests traveling before 11 a.m. or after 8 p.m.
Willing to Wait to Hit the Road or Fly?
“If you can travel on the holiday itself, you'll probably see the least amount of traffic out there," AAA Mid-Atlantic spokesperson Jana Tidwell said. "The same is true for air travel as well if you're flexible and can fly out on Thanksgiving day you'll probably see the least amount of traffic or crowds in the airports on Thanksgiving day itself.”
When's the Best Time to Head Home?
Check out this chart to figure out the times to avoid throughout the holiday weekend. (Hint: afternoons and early evenings aren't expected to be good):
