AAA Expects Drop In Florida Travel During Thanksgiving Holiday

WUSF | By Tom Urban/News Service of Florida

Published November 23, 2020 at 6:16 PM EST

Heavy traffic on one of the freeways crossing Silicon Valley, San Francisco bay area, California

With the CDC urging people to stay home for Thanksgiving, AAA is expecting a significant decline in holiday travel this year.

Still, in Florida, more than 2.5 million people are expected to take a road trip this week.

Among those traveling, 95% of them will be driving to their destinations, while holiday air travel is projected to be about half of what it usually is.

Prior to the recent CDC guidance, AAA was anticipating a 10% decrease in Thanksgiving travel.

The number of people staying home is now expected to be higher, according to spokesman W. D. Williams.

He says Floridians who are traveling need to plan ahead more than ever in 2020.

“Different states and different communities are all going to have different restrictions, related to the pandemic,” Williams said. “People need to know what those restrictions are going to be, and what they can and cannot do, once they get to their destination.”

For those driving, Wednesday will be the busiest day on the roads.

The average price for regular unleaded gasoline in Florida is currently $2.03 a gallon, down 34 cents from one year ago.