How to beat Illinois traffic this Thanksgiving
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Thanksgiving's almost here and AAA is expecting a record 4.1 million Illinoisans to travel at least 50 miles over the next six days.
Why it matters: Record holiday trips could bring heavy holiday traffic. So we've gathered some data to help you do more chewing and less stewing, more baking and less braking, more memory sharing and less highway swearing. OK, we'll stop.
Car talk: AAA projects that 90% of all holiday travelers (or 73 million Americans) will hop in their cars this Thanksgiving.
- That includes 3.6 million Illinoisans who are expected to hit the road mostly Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon. Leave early in the morning to beat the traffic.
- Chicago gas prices are averaging $3.45 a gallon, up from $3.31 last year at this time. Nationally that price is $3.19 slightly up from $3.17 a year ago.
Good news: Car renters should see a 15% drop in domestic rental prices from last year, AAA says.
The worst local drive will be suffered by folks returning to Chicago from Indianapolis on Sunday afternoon around 3:45pm along I-65, according to transportation data provider INRIX.
- That trip is expected to take more than four hours or about 57% longer than usual.
- But at least you can pick up some bargain Hoosier gas, which is averaging $2.94 a gallon.
On the fly: AAA expects 6 million Americans (including 360,000 Illinoisans) to take to the skies this Thanksgiving, a 2% increase from 2024.
- Domestic air fares average about $700 for a round trip.
- Flying out on Thanksgiving Day can save you dough, while returning on Sunday and Monday will cost more.
- Top Thanksgiving domestic flight destinations this year include Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami, while international hot spots are led by Paris, Amsterdam, Vienna, Cancun and Punta Cana.
The latest: Speaking of Punta Cana, the hot Dominican destination just got easier for Chicagoans this month when Arajet arrived at O'Hare and launched thrice weekly flights to the resort town starting at $114 each way.
The bottom line: Plan ahead so your holiday doesn't get gobbled up with travel hassles.