Record number of travelers expected for Thanksgiving weekend

With gas prices at a 3-year low, a record number of people will be traveling by car this Thanksgiving, up 2.1% from last year, according to the latest data from AAA Travel.

“Thanksgiving is the busiest holiday for travel, and this year we’re expecting to set new records across the board, from driving to flying and cruising,” said AAA Travel’s vice president, Stacey Barber.

Nearly 80M individuals will travel 50 miles or more from home, with Florida having four of the top 10 U.S. destinations. Number one, is Orlando, Florida with Disney (DIS) and Universal theme parks (CMCSA) the most popular spots for holiday celebrations, along with cruise ports in Miami and Tampa.

Internationally, Budapest, Hungary is the top spot, followed by warm weather destinations in Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Dominican Republic rounding out the top five.

AAA expects 71.7M people will travel by car, 5.84M by air, up 2% from last year, and 2.28M by other means, including cruises, trains, and buses. This is an increase of 9% from last Thanksgiving and is largely attributed to the popularity of cruises (RCL, NCLH, CCL, VIK). AAA Travel data shows a 20% increase in cruise bookings from last Thanksgiving.

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