AAA: 2.9 Million Floridians Hitting The Road For Thanksgiving

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Daytona Beach, FL - More than 55 million Americans are planning to travel this Thanksgiving (November 28th).

And 2.9 million of those travelers are Floridians.

According to AAA, this will also be the second-highest Thanksgiving travel volume since the group began tracking in 2000; second only to 2005. Compared to last year, 1.6 million more Americans (85,258 Florida) will travel this year.

The vast majority of holiday travelers this year will travel by automobile. With that, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is forecast to be the worst travel period nationally, with trips taking as much as four times longer than normal in major metro areas.

“Strong economic fundamentals are motivating Americans to travel this Thanksgiving in near-record numbers,” said Mark Jenkins, spokesman for AAA. “Consumer spending remains strong, thanks to increased wages, disposable income, and household wealth. It also helps that gas prices have remained low during the past month, as Floridians finalized their travel plans."

Jenkins also said that Floridians should expect highways to be the busiest between 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Wednesday (November 27th). Because of that, AAA is urging drivers to plan ahead and seek alternate routes in case of back-ups.

4.45 million Americans are also expected to fly. That's a growth of 4.6%, the biggest increase in travel volume during the Thanksgiving holiday. 210,456 of those 4.45 million are Floridians, according to AAA.