Thanksgiving travel: What to know before hitting the road

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) — Thanksgiving travel is expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels in South Carolina this year, and travel experts are sharing advice for those hitting the road ahead of the holiday.

AAA predicts this will be one of the busiest years for Thanksgiving travel in the past two decades.

Nearly 49 million Americans, or about 89% of all travelers, are projected to travel by car this year, according to data from AAA.

“A lot of us have been cooped up in our houses for more than two years, and we haven’t been traveling,” said Tiffany Wright, AAA spokesperson. “So, for many of us, this is our first big road trip in quite some time.”

In South Carolina, the number of people projected to travel 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving is up 13% compared to pre-pandemic levels, according to AAA.

In fact, 850,000 South Carolinians are expected to travel this year — that’s almost 98,000 more than last year, and a little over 100,000 more than 2019.

Here’s a list of the best and worst times to travel by car on Turkey Day, according to AAA:

Thankfully, drivers can expect some relief at the pump ahead of the holiday.

The latest numbers from GasBuddy show average gasoline prices have fallen nearly 9¢ a gallon in South Carolina in the past week, currently averaging $3.17 per gallon.

That price is over 10¢ lower than a month ago, but still 6¢ higher than a year ago, according to GasBuddy.

“Typically, this is the time of the year — this Monday through Wednesday before the holidays –where we see an uptick at the pump,” Wright said. “We’re not seeing that. Why? Because demand’s been low, and stock volumes have been high.”

Wright advised drivers to plan their route ahead of time, take a break once every two hours on a road trip and be tolerant of others when behind the wheel.