Nearly 149,000 Delawareans to travel for Thanksgiving, highest since 2005

AAA Mid-Atlantic estimates nearly 149,000 Delawareans will travel 50 miles or more away from home for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a three-percent increase over 2018 and the highest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2005.

The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday, November 27 to Sunday, December 1.

“Americans carving time out to visit family and friends since 2005,” said Ken Grant, manager of Public and Government Affairs for AAA Mid-Atlantic. “A strong economy and labor market are generating higher wages and more disposable income, enabling more confident consumers to spend on travel this holiday season. The increase in the number of travelers from Delaware taking to the roads, air and other modes of transport, mirrors the national trend.”

Nationally, AAA projects more than 55 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more away from home this Thanksgiving, a 2.9 percent increase over last year.

The 2019 holiday weekend will see the highest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2005. AAA and INRIX, a global transportation analytics company, predict travel times in the most congested cities in the U.S. during the holiday week could be as much as four times longer than the optimal trip.

89 percent of all travelers – 55.3 million – are planning a Thanksgiving road trip, an increase of 2.9 percent over last year.