The Worst Times to Travel on Thanksgiving Week (according to Google)
Thanksgiving is this week, which means that millions of Americans will hit the road because they want to spend the holiday with their family and loved ones. Traffic is going to suck!
Well aware of this fact, Google has some traffic tips and destination trends that should help you reach your destination in time.
The worst and best times to leave and return
If you’re going to leave on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, you’re going to have a bad time, especially if you plan on leaving at round 3PM. And if you plan to return on Saturday, you’re in for some more Thanksgiving traffic gridlock.
The best time to leave for your Thanksgiving trip is at 6AM, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It’s already Monday, so that’s out of the question. Furthermore, leaving that early isn’t possible for many. Because of job constraints and other annoying things of the sort, many won’t be able to leave until Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.
If you fall in that category and you have to leave on Wednesday, the best time to hit the round is at 6AM. Leaving this early should help you avoid any traffic delays.
The best time to return is right after Thanksgiving, on Friday, November 25, at around 6AM. If you have stay until Saturday, the best time to set off is at 6AM.
Top 5 busiest airports Thanksgiving 2016
Flying is more convenient than driving halfway across the country. This doesn’t mean you’re in the clear though. You still have to contend with airport traffic and, according to Google, airport traffic can get up to 60% worse than on normal workdays.
Dropping off or picking up loved ones at a busy airport? Here’s Google’s cheat sheet for the busiest airports in the US:
More tips from Google-owned Waze
According to Waze, the community-based traffic and navigation app owned by Google since 2013, the best time to leave is on Thanksgiving morning and the best time to return is on Monday, assuming that you can take and extra day off work. If you can’t and you have to return on Sunday, the worst traffic is between 11AM and 6PM, so try not to leave during those hours.
Well aware of this fact, Google has some traffic tips and destination trends that should help you reach your destination in time.
The worst and best times to leave and return
If you’re going to leave on Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving, you’re going to have a bad time, especially if you plan on leaving at round 3PM. And if you plan to return on Saturday, you’re in for some more Thanksgiving traffic gridlock.
The best time to leave for your Thanksgiving trip is at 6AM, on the Sunday before Thanksgiving. It’s already Monday, so that’s out of the question. Furthermore, leaving that early isn’t possible for many. Because of job constraints and other annoying things of the sort, many won’t be able to leave until Wednesday, the day before Thanksgiving.
If you fall in that category and you have to leave on Wednesday, the best time to hit the round is at 6AM. Leaving this early should help you avoid any traffic delays.
The best time to return is right after Thanksgiving, on Friday, November 25, at around 6AM. If you have stay until Saturday, the best time to set off is at 6AM.
Top 5 busiest airports Thanksgiving 2016
Flying is more convenient than driving halfway across the country. This doesn’t mean you’re in the clear though. You still have to contend with airport traffic and, according to Google, airport traffic can get up to 60% worse than on normal workdays.
Dropping off or picking up loved ones at a busy airport? Here’s Google’s cheat sheet for the busiest airports in the US:
- Lost Angeles LAX – get there before 3PM or leave after 10PM.
- Chicago O’Hare – get there before 3PM.
- New York JFK – get there before 6PM.
- Atlanta Hartsfield – get there before noon, or leave after 4PM.
More tips from Google-owned Waze
According to Waze, the community-based traffic and navigation app owned by Google since 2013, the best time to leave is on Thanksgiving morning and the best time to return is on Monday, assuming that you can take and extra day off work. If you can’t and you have to return on Sunday, the worst traffic is between 11AM and 6PM, so try not to leave during those hours.
