ORLANDO, Fla. _ About 48.7 million Americans are expected to travel at least 50 miles this Thanksgiving, an increase of 1 million people compared with last year, according to auto club AAA.
It's the most holiday travelers since 2007.
"This is the most traveled holiday of the year, and as usual, there is an emphasis on road trips," said Joseph Richardson Jr., president and chief executive officer of AAA.
The Thanksgiving holiday travel period starts Wednesday, Nov. 23, and 43.5 million people _ about 89 percent of all travelers _ are expected to travel by car, according to AAA.
This year's projected number of drivers is an increase of 1.9 percent over last year. AAA said cheap prices at the pump, the second-cheapest in a decade for the holiday travel period, could be why more people are choosing to drive this year.
Nationally, a gallon of gas is averaging $2.17, 12 cents more than the average price on Thanksgiving Day last year, said AAA Tuesday in a news release.
"Gas prices are now on a similar course as last year, due in large part to lower oil prices," said Mark Jenkins, AAA spokesman.
Air travel and other modes of transportation such as rail and buses are also expected to see an increase this year.
Nearly 3.7 million Americans will fly to their destination, said AAA, an increase of 1.6 percent. About 1.44 million travelers will opt for taking trains, buses or hoping on a cruise for Thanksgiving, only a slight increase over the 2015 holiday.
The busiest travel days will be the Wednesday before the holiday and the Sunday after.
