AAA predicts record-breaking Thanksgiving travel in Wisconsin

A record number of Wisconsinites are expected to travel for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, according to AAA. The group says nearly 1.6 million residents are expected to drive or fly this week.

Wisconsin’s last record for Thanksgiving travel recorded by AAA was set in 2019. Midwest Public Affairs Director Nick Jarmusz told WPR that holiday travel overall declined in subsequent years due to concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We saw a lot of people skip a year or two of travel because of that, and then it’s been building back ever since,” Jarmusz said. “We came very close to breaking that record last year. But this year, we did make it over the line, about a 2 percent increase over last year’s numbers, and we’re setting that new record now.”

Between Tuesday and Monday, Dec. 2, AAA projects more than 1.4 million Wisconsin residents will hit the roads for their Thanksgiving holiday festivities. Around another 115,000 are expected to fly to their family gatherings.

“It’s a reflection of what we’ve seen throughout the year with other travel holidays during the summer that we monitored, and just you know, a reflection of people’s improving confidence in the economy and their ability to spend the money necessary to take trips like these,” Jarmusz said.

As of Nov. 20, AAA reported the average price for a gallon of gas in Wisconsin was around $2.80. That’s slightly lower than an average price of around $3 per gallon during the same time in 2023.

Jarmusz said AAA encourages drivers to give themselves extra time, follow the speed limit and not drive while under the influences of drugs or alcohol.

“We just don’t want to see anyone’s holiday weekend ruined by a crash or an injury or, you know, worst case scenario, fatality,” Jarmusz said.