Your 2025 Thanksgiving Travel Guide: What to Expect (and How to Stay Sane)

It’s hard to believe that 2025 is almost over, yet simultaneously, this year feels like it went on for a decade. As we close out the final months of the year, many of us begin to plan our holiday travel plans. Between the trickle-down impacts of the government shutdown and rising gas prices, things might run a bit differently than you’re expecting. Whether you’re planning on driving or flying, let this 2025 Thanksgiving travel guide help prepare you to navigate the busiest travel season of the year. 

Busiest Travel Days During Thanksgiving 2025

Thanksgiving week is the busiest time to travel, and that holds true for both highways and airways. According to AAA, 81.8 million people will travel at least 50 miles during the Thanksgiving holiday period (Tuesday, November 25 to Monday, December 1). The Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving are historically the busiest travel days of the year. If you’re planning on traveling on those days, take a deep breath. 

Driving

Of those 81.8 million, 73 million people will travel by car—that’s nearly 90 percent. For folks planning to rent a car, Wednesday is the busiest day. I worked for Enterprise for 5 years, and can confirm that the Wednesday before Thanksgiving was, in fact, the busiest day of the year to rent a car. The cities with the highest demand are Orlando, Atlanta, Newark, Las Vegas, and Los Angeles. If you can pick up your rental car on Monday or Tuesday, do it. Many rental car companies will even offer a discount if you pick it up early so they can try to spread the demand out over a few days rather than have everyone come in on the same day.

The national average for gas prices is $3.07 per gallon, which is about the same as last year. Fill your tank the day before, (it’s just one less thing to worry about).

Congestion on the roads and in airports is inevitable. If you can change your plans to travel outside of that red zone, I’d highly recommend it. You’ll experience fewer crowds, potentially fewer delays, and generally speaking, you’ll probably have a better overall experience. Of course, sometimes we are bound by time and just need to accept the inevitable. 

Here are the worst travel times for the Thanksgiving travel period:

• Tuesday, November 25: 12 p.m. to 9 p.m.
• Wednesday, November 26: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Thursday, November 27: Minimal traffic
• Friday, November 28: 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
• Saturday, November 29: 1 p.m. to 8 pm.
• Sunday, November 30: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
• Monday, December 1: 12 p.m. to 8 p.m.

Perhaps this is where the phrase 'the early bird gets the worm' originated! The earlier you can get on the road, the better.

Flying

For the 6 million U.S. travelers who are taking to the skies for the Thanksgiving holiday, expect the airports to be busier than normal. We were all waiting to see how the government shutdown would affect the flight schedule for this holiday week, and it looks like the disruption will be minimal. Airports have already begun taking on more flights and getting back to normal. That being said, you should still arrive at the airport with plenty of time to make it through security. 

Here are the most popular destinations for the Thanksgiving travel period:

• Orlando, Florida
• Tampa, Florida
• Miami, Florida
• Fort Lauderdale, Florida
• Los Angeles, California
• San Francisco, California
• New York, New York
• Honolulu, Hawaii
• Las Vegas, Nevada
• Atlanta, Georgia

Thanks to an abundance of theme parks and cruise ports paired with school vacation, Florida consistently ranks as one of the top holiday destinations in the country.

Thanksgiving Travel Tips

We’ve all been there: A long day of travel, fighting crowds, long lines, and by the time you get to your gate, there’s no place to sit. When it rains, it pours! While I can’t guarantee that you’ll have an easy breezy travel day, I can offer up some of my best tips for traveling during the holidays as someone who tends to travel a lot during this time of year.

Get to the Airport Early

Generally speaking, you should arrive at the airport 2 hours before your flight (3 hours for an international flight). Since things get so congested during the holidays, I’d recommend giving yourself at least an extra 30 minutes on top of that 2-hour window, especially if your flight is later in the day.

If you don't have TSA PreCheck or CLEAR, you could be in some seriously long lines, and no one wants to miss a flight. From my own experience, the later in the day the flight, the higher the chances of a delay. If you haven't flown in a while, make sure you have a REAL ID.

For my road warriors, get those inspections done before you take off. Check the tires, make sure all your fluids are good, and give your car a good vacuum before you pack everything in. The earlier you can be on the road, the better! I don’t think you need to rush out of the house at 5 a.m., but an early start to the day will help you avoid the traffic.

Pack Light

If you’re flying, consider flying without a checked bag. A carry-on plus your personal item might be more than enough for your needs, and you won’t have to worry about missing luggage. The more layovers you have, the greater the chances that your checked bag doesn’t make it to your destination. Pack the essentials and brag to your friends that you’re not overpacking for once. Consider shipping gifts ahead of time so you don’t have to worry about transporting them!

Release Your Expectations

Sorry, Type A personalities, this one is going to be difficult for you. Your perfectly-timed itinerary with all the stops and layovers is going to go out the window almost immediately. There are so many things outside of your control that it’s impossible to plan for. Flights get delayed often, construction on roadways leads to endless traffic, and Mother Nature loves to throw curveballs. A flat tire could sideline you for a few hours. There are so many things that could delay your day, and you have no control over them—accept it and take a breath. You’ll get there when you get there. 

Check out more travel tips and tricks on how to navigate the holiday season. Feeling inspired? Try planning your own trip using Only In Your State’s itinerary planner.