This browser does not support the Video element.
Chaplain offers guidance on practicing gratitude
Nearly 82 million people will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, either by plane, car or other forms of transit and the Federal Aviation Administration is gearing up for what it predicts will be its busiest Thanksgiving travel period in 15 years. However, during the busy holiday season, it’s important to take some time to reflect on what we are most thankful for. Author and Chaplain Jesse Bradley joins LiveNOW's Andy Mac to discuss how we can refocus on gratitude before the end of November.
This Thanksgiving travel week is projected to be the busiest ever, with nearly 82 million people traveling at least 50 miles from home.
According to AAA, some places will be busier than others when it comes to Thanksgiving travel destinations.
Top Thanksgiving travel destinations
Local perspective:
AAA says the following U.S. cities are the top Thanksgiving destinations based on booking data:
MORE: Thanksgiving 2025: Restaurants that will be open for the holiday
- Orlando, Florida
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- Miami, Florida
- Anaheim/Los Angeles, California
- Tampa, Florida
- New York, New York
- San Francisco, California
- Honolulu, Hawaii
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Atlanta, Georgia
Dig deeper:
Florida tops the list because of the state’s theme parks and cruise ports.
FILE - Disney World in Orlando, Florida. Orlando is among the top destinations for Thanksgiving this year (Photo by Matt Stroshane/Walt Disney World Resort via Getty Images)
The top five cities with the highest demand for rental cars are:
- Orlando
- Atlanta
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Newark, New Jersey
Internationally, the following cities are projected to be the busiest:
- Paris, France
- Amsterdam, Netherlands
- Vienna, Austria
- Cancun, Mexico
- Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
- Basel, Switzerland
- Sydney, Australia
- Barcelona, Spain
- Budapest, Hungary
- Oranjestad, Aruba
Record-setting Thanksgiving travel
By the numbers:
According to AAA, nearly 82 million people will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, either by plane, car or other forms of transit. That would make it the busiest travel week ever.
MORE: Tips for what could be the busiest travel season in 15 years
At least 73 million people will travel by car, accounting for nearly 90 percent of Thanksgiving travelers and an additional 1.3 million people on the road compared to last Thanksgiving.
The FAA says more than 360,000 flights are scheduled for Thanksgiving week.
Timeline:
Tuesday is expected to be the busiest airport travel day with more than 52,000 flights scheduled.
Wednesday and Sunday are expected to be the busiest days on the road. The national average for gas this holiday week will be nearly the same as last year, about $3.06 per gallon.
The Source: This report includes information from the Federal Aviation Administration and AAA.