Nearly 72M travelers are expected to be on the road over the Thanksgiving weekend, which will likely lead to major delays in most U.S. metro areas. Leveraging 2024 traffic trends and past holidays, we predict the worst times to travel by car over Thanksgiving are Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon, and the best time to hit the road is Thanksgiving Day itself when interstates and highways are typically clear. Drivers returning home on Sunday should leave early in the morning, and those coming back on Monday should expect a mix of travelers and work commuters on the road.
“With a record number of travelers expected to be on the road, drivers should follow traffic apps and local news alerts to avoid major delays,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “This is especially important for drivers in metropolitan areas like Boston, New York, LA, Seattle, and Washington, DC, where traffic is expected to be more than double what it typically is on a normal day.”
If you plan to hit the road, here are the routes with the expected worst delays leaving & returning each city.
| Top Departing & Returning Trips by Metro | |||||||||
| Main City | Trip Type | From | To | Road | Worst Day | Worst Time | Projected Travel Time (hours) | Normal Travel Time (hours) | Increase in Travel Time |
| Atlanta | Departing | Atlanta | Augusta | I-20 E | Wednesday 27th | 1:45 PM | 2.8 | 2.3 | 22% |
| Returning | Birmingham | Atlanta | I-20 E | Sunday 1st | 4:45 PM | 3.3 | 2.4 | 38% | |
| Boston | Departing | Boston | Portsmouth | I-95 N | Tuesday 26th | 3:45 PM | 2.6 | 1.2 | 117% |
| Returning | New York | Boston | I-95 N | Monday 2nd | 4:15 PM | 6.4 | 5.0 | 28% | |
| Chicago | Departing | Chicago | Milwaukee | I-94 W | Tuesday 26th | 4:45 PM | 2.0 | 1.5 | 33% |
| Returning | Indianapolis | Chicago | I-65 N | Sunday 1st | 3:45 PM | 4.2 | 2.9 | 45% | |
| Denver | Departing | Denver | Fort Collins | I-25 N | Thursday 28th | 1:45 PM | 1.3 | 0.9 | 44% |
| Returning | Fort Collins | Denver | I-25 S | Friday 29th | 1:00 PM | 1.3 | 0.9 | 44% | |
| Detroit | Departing | Detroit | Kalamazoo | I-94 W | Tuesday 26th | 4:30 PM | 2.4 | 2.0 | 20% |
| Returning | Grand Rapids | Detroit | I-96 E | Monday 2nd | 7:00 AM | 3.2 | 2.3 | 39% | |
| Houston | Departing | Houston | Galveston | I-45 S | Wednesday 27th | 2:00 PM | 1.0 | 0.8 | 25% |
| Returning | Galveston | Houston | I-45 N | Monday 2nd | 5:45 PM | 1.3 | 1.0 | 30% | |
| Los Angeles | Departing | Los Angeles | Bakersfield | I-5 N | Wednesday 27th | 7:45 PM | 3.8 | 1.8 | 111% |
| Returning | Palm Springs | Los Angeles | I-10 W | Saturday 30th | 7:30 PM | 2.4 | 1.5 | 60% | |
| Minneapolis | Departing | Minneapolis | Eau Claire | I-94 E | Tuesday 26th | 5:15 PM | 1.6 | 1.4 | 14% |
| Returning | Eau Claire | Minneapolis | I-94 W | Sunday 1st | 4:30 PM | 1.9 | 1.3 | 46% | |
| New York | Departing | New York | Hamptons | Long Island Expy E | Tuesday 26th | 4:30 PM | 3.5 | 1.5 | 133% |
| Returning | Jersey Shore | New York | Garden St Pkwy N | Monday 2nd | 6:30 AM | 2.0 | 1.1 | 82% | |
| Philadelphia | Departing | Philadelphia | Hershey | I-76 (PA Turnpike) | Tuesday 26th | 4:45 PM | 2.4 | 1.7 | 41% |
| Returning | Poconos | Philadelphia | I-76/I-476 PA Turnpike | Sunday 1st | 12:15 PM | 3.4 | 2.1 | 62% | |
| Portland | Departing | Portland | Eugene | I-5 S | Tuesday 26th | 3:45 PM | 2.3 | 1.7 | 35% |
| Returning | Hood River | Portland | I-84 W | Sunday 1st | 6:30 PM | 1.2 | 1.0 | 20% | |
| San Diego | Departing | San Diego | Palm Springs | I-15 N | Wednesday 27th | 6:15 PM | 3.7 | 2.7 | 37% |
| Returning | Palm Springs | San Diego | I-15 S | Saturday 30th | 4:45 PM | 2.9 | 2.1 | 38% | |
| San Francisco | Departing | San Francisco | Sacramento | I-80 E | Tuesday 26th | 7:30 PM | 3.0 | 1.6 | 88% |
| Returning | Sacramento | San Francisco | I-80 W | Saturday 30th | 7:30 PM | 2.2 | 1.5 | 47% | |
| Seattle | Departing | Seattle | Ellensburg | I-90 W | Tuesday 26th | 7:00 PM | 3.5 | 1.6 | 119% |
| Returning | Portland | Seattle | I-5 N | Sunday 1st | 7:30 PM | 3.4 | 2.7 | 26% | |
| Tampa | Departing | Tampa | Orlando | I-4 E | Wednesday 27th | 3:00 PM | 2.8 | 2.0 | 40% |
| Returning | Fort Myers | Tampa | I-75 N | Friday 29th | 10:30 AM | 2.7 | 1.6 | 69% | |
| Washington DC | Departing | Washington DC | Annapolis | US-50 E | Tuesday 26th | 4:30 PM | 1.1 | 0.5 | 120% |
| Returning | Rehoboth Beach | Washington DC | US-50 W | Saturday 30th | 4:00 PM | 3.5 | 2.4 | 47% | |