Thanksgiving Travel Secrets: The Best and Worst Times to Travel in 2025

Every year, millions of Americans hit the road for Thanksgiving—only to find themselves trapped in gridlocked highways, staring at brake lights instead of pumpkin pie. But what if you could outsmart the chaos?

This year, a new report compiled by AAA provides a specific travel window that will allow you to steer clear of traffic chaos during the holidays. With over 90% of travelers expected to drive more than 50 miles during the Thanksgiving rush, knowing the optimal travel windows could mean the difference between a breezy drive and a bumper-to-bumper headache.

And so, before you pack the car and cue the playlist, find out the smartest times to travel—and when to absolutely stay off the road.

The Best Times to Travel During Thanksgiving

Timing is everything when it comes to Thanksgiving travel. While it might seem smart to leave work a little early and beat the rush, the truth is, so is everyone else. If you want to cruise instead of crawl, then the best time to drive is either early morning or later in the evening, when most travelers are either still packing or already at their destinations.

Here are the best and worst times to travel during the Thanksgiving season:

How Did They Figure This Out? Behind the Thanksgiving Traffic Predictions

Ever wonder how experts can pinpoint the exact hours when highways will turn into parking lots? It’s not guesswork—it’s data science.

To achieve this, AAA and S&P Global Market Intelligence combined forces to examine extensive data collections for identifying peak and off-peak travel periods during Thanksgiving 2025. The analysts examined historical travel patterns alongside modern economic factors and essential metrics, including gas prices and flight reservations, and hotel vacancies.

But they didn’t stop there. A real-time examination of road usage and travel distances and times was accomplished through surveys of more than 50,000 American households. The result? A data-backed travel forecast designed to help you dodge delays and arrive at your destination with time to spare (and maybe even a hot dinner waiting).

Best and Worst Times to Fly Over Thanksgiving 2025

If you’re one of the 6 million Americans taking to the skies this Thanksgiving, timing your airport arrival can make a world of difference. The busiest air travel days? You should arrive at the airport on Tuesday and Wednesday just before Thanksgiving because terminals are most crowded during early mornings and late afternoons.

Knowing when the largest crowds appear helps you prepare mentally and logistically, even if you have already purchased your flight ticket.

During peak hours, you will probably encounter delays and longer queues in addition to crowded gate areas. The most effective method for a stress-free departure is careful scheduling along with increased patience.

Where Does Traffic Hit Hardest When Driving on Thanksgiving

Especially during the major holidays like Thanksgiving, dodging traffic route near your metro is almost impossible. Although we cannot select the locations where our family members live, we retain the power to determine both our driving times and methods. During such times, you must prepare for traffic delays if you have plans to travel on these well-known, dangerous roads during Thanksgiving.

And so, the 2025 holiday forecast from AAA identifies these five travel routes as the most congested ones, along with peak traffic hours and estimated delays and additional time spent in vehicles beyond normal daily commutes.

Bonus Bottlenecks to Watch:

• San Francisco (I-80 E): +88% delay
• Philadelphia (I-76/I-476): +62% delay
• Tampa (I-75 N): +69% delay

Even if your journey doesn’t cover the full length of these routes, any section close to any of these routes might be affected as well. So be aware.