Thanksgiving travel trends

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WWLP) - For the fourth year in a row, the number of people traveling for Thanksgiving has gone up.

But some things haven't changed - people still worry about how much the trip will cost and how many hours they'll be sitting in traffic.

As you get ready to visit friends and famiy for Thanksgiving, so will 43 million other people.

Mindy Ginley, Spokesperon for AAA Pioneer Valley told 22News, “They may not be traveling as far. They may be driving, instead of flying, but they are still traveling for the holidays.”

45% of travelers will drive on Wednesday November 21st and Sunday November 25th.

So if you can leave the day before, or stay an extra day, or drive during overnight or early morning hours, you'll avoid the worst of the holiday traffic.

For some people though, traffic is the least of their worries.

Right now the state average for a gallon of regular gas is $3.61. Experts predict the prices to drop between now and Thanksgiving to around $3.30, but some people say even then, they can't afford to travel.

Brenda Rivera of Springfield told 22News she is staying home this Thanksgiving.

“You're working just to put gas in your car,” she said. “What I do is with my paycheck, at the end of the week, I just take out gas money and fill up my tank, and usually it doesn't even last me the whole week anyway.”

But some people say high gas prices won't stop them from seeing their family.

Luis Palaguachi of Springfield told 22News “We do this every year. This is the chance to see my whole family together. It's worth it. Of course it's worth it. You gotta see your family, your sister, brother, everybody.”

If you do drive during overnight or early morning hours, make sure you're well rested so you don't fall asleep behind the wheel.