AAA is projecting that over 2 million New Jersey residents will travel 50 miles or more over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period, an increase of nearly 31,000 people and up 1.6% over last year. Nationally, AAA is predicting that 82 million will travel, an increase of 1.6 million people and up 2.0% compared to Thanksgiving 2024. The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as the seven-day period from Tuesday, November 25 to Monday, December 1.
“The primary focus of Thanksgiving, more so than any other holiday, is to celebrate with family, friends and loved ones,” said Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Club Alliance. “That has never been more evident than in the sheer volume of people who are preparing to travel this year. New Jerseyans need to plan ahead and be prepared for backups and delays whether driving or flying to their destination.”
Car Travel
Locally, over 1.8 million New Jersey travelers (89%) will be driving to their holiday destinations, an increase of 1.4% compared to last year. Nationally, 73 million people are expected to travel by car an increase of 1.8% over last year.
Drivers across New Jersey are paying about 15 cents more for gas compared to last year when the statewide average was $2.78. This year, the New Jersey average peaked on June 26 at $3.19 per gallon and has been hovering around $3.00 for most of the year.
Air Travel
AAA is projecting almost 175,000 New Jerseyans (8.6%) to take to the skies for the holiday weekend, up 2.0% over last year. Nationally, air travel is up 2.1% over 2024, with 6 million Americans flying to their Thanksgiving destinations this year.
“Airport parking spaces fill up fast, so reserve a spot ahead of time and arrive early,” Noble suggests. “Anticipate long TSA lines. If possible, avoid checking a bag to allow for more flexibility if flights are delayed or you need to reschedule.”
Other Modes of Transportation
Other modes of transportation are seeing the biggest jump for Thanksgiving holiday travel, with an increase of almost 5% in New Jersey compared to last year. Almost 40,500 New Jersey travelers will be going by cruise, train or bus this year. Nationally, nearly 2.5 million travelers are going out of town for Thanksgiving using other modes of transportation, an increase of 8.6% from 2024.
“For many, Thanksgiving and travel are synonymous, and this holiday is certainly no exception,” Noble added. “AAA’s Thanksgiving forecast is consistent with the strong travel demand we have seen over the last few years. In fact, the increase in travel across all modes of transportation reflects Americans continued desire for adventures and new experiences.”
2025 Projected Thanksgiving Holiday Travelers – New Jersey
Best and Worst Times to Drive
INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, expects Tuesday and Wednesday afternoon to be the most congested periods before Thanksgiving Day. Travelers returning home on Sunday should expect heavy traffic most of the day. Drivers should hit the road in the morning to avoid the worst backups, but keep in mind construction, crashes, or severe weather could impact travel times. Slow Down, Move Over for emergency responders and other stopped vehicles on the side of the road to ensure everyone’s safety.
With Over 2 Million NJ Residents Expected to Travel Over Thanksgiving Holiday, Burglars Can’t Decide Which Empty Homes to Rob
With over 2 Million New Jerseyans expected to travel over the Thanksgiving holiday, burglars are expressing angst about their inability to decide which of the countless empty homes they should burglarize.
“How am I supposed to decide which empty home to break into over the holiday when there are so many empty homes to choose from?!” said veteran burglar, Steven Robman, who, over the years, has robbed countless homes during the holiday seasons. “I mean, I could rattle off thousands of homes that will be vacated during the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, and they’ve all got plenty of loot and tons of valuables. However, I can only rob one or two of these homes, and I must pick out the cream of the crop because opportunities like these doesn’t come around too often!”
However, in an effort to alleviate the aforementioned problem, the ‘NJ Association of Robbers’ announced on Thursday the launch of a brand new app that “will make choosing the perfect home to burglarize a breeze!”
“We spent a great deal of time building this app,” said retired robber and current Data analyst, Bill Apperburg, “it’ll make life a whole lot easier for the burglar community this holiday season – that’s for sure! And it’s free to use. All we’re asking for is 10% commission on all newly acquired goods and loot! That’s it!”
Meanwhile, NJ Gov. Phil Murphy put out an SOS alert on Thursday pleading with the 2 million New Jerseyans who plan on traveling during the holiday season not to abandon the state over the holiday, and not “to leave the rest of us non-travelers with that all-too-familiar feeling of emptiness!”
“With a population size of 9.5 million, NJ can ill-afford to have more than 2 million of its citizens running off, abandoning us and turning this state into a ghost town.”
“Please, I beg of you,” the Governor pleaded with the 2 million planned travelers, “rethink your plans, stay put, consume your turkeys at home, so that the rest of us won’t feel that all-too-familiar feeling of estrangement, abandonment and emptiness. Please, we don’t want to eat our turkeys all alone, that’s no fun at all!”
“My fellow citizens, enjoy your gobble time right here in the great state of NJ,” the Governor concluded. “And have a happy holiday! Thank you!”
I’ve always commuted in it. It’s not as bad as they exaggerate it. Traffic may be a bit heavy in some spots but it moves and with almost no trucks on the road. The Local 9:30am traffic & 4:30pm traffic is 10 times worse.