New Englanders To Hit the Roads for Thanksgiving, Triple A Predicts

NEWPORT, RI— New Englanders are expected to outdo the rest of the U.S. with ambitious Thanksgiving travel plans. According to the AAA, 48.7 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving.

And more than 2.1 million of them will likely be from New England. That's a 2.4 percent increase over 2015 for the six state region.

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Nationwide, the prediction amounts to one million more travelers than a year ago, which represents a 1.9 percent increase over 2015. That's not an all-time record but still would be the most Thanksgiving travelers since 2007.

“One million more Americans than last year will carve out time to visit with family and friends this Thanksgiving,” said Lloyd Albert, AAA Northeast Senior Vice President of Public and Government Affairs. “Most will travel on the tried and true holiday road trip, thanks to gas prices that are holding steady throughout the Fall months.”

"This year’s top vacation destinations for Thanksgiving include many popular west coast cities, as well as perennial family-friendly favorites. The most popular destinations this Thanksgiving, based on AAA.com bookings, are:

1. Las Vegas

2. San Francisco

3. San Diego

4. Orlando

5. New York City

6. New Orleans

7. Anaheim

8. Fort Lauderdale

9. Philadelphia

10. Seattle

Even though it isn't a destination, "the New England region is projected to outpace the national projections in all modes of travel, based in part on stability in the price of gasoline, AAA said. The club estimates that U.S. drivers have saved more than $28 billion for far at the pumps this year compared to the same period last year.

"The vast majority – more than 89 percent – of holiday travelers will drive this Thanksgiving, up 1.9 percent, while travel by air will be up 1.6 percent. Close to 1.9 million from New England are expected to drive to their destinations, up 2.5 percent over 2015.

"AAA expects to provide roadside assistance to more than 370,000 motorists this Thanksgiving, with the primary reasons being dead batteries, flat tires and lockouts. AAA Roadside Assistance can be requested through the AAA Mobile app, which can also be used to help map a route, make travel arrangements, and find lowest gas prices. Learn more at AAA.com/mobile.

"AAA’s travel projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Markit, which first teamed with AAA in 2009 to jointly analyze travel trends during major holidays. AAA has been reporting on holiday travel trends for more than two decades.