If you’re traveling over Thanksgiving, you’ll have even more company than last year.
AAA predicts that 50.9 million Americans will travel over the holiday, a 3.3 percent increase over 2016 and the most since 2005. The auto club credits a growing economy and low unemployment for putting people in the traveling mood.
More than 45 million will travel by car between next Wednesday and the Sunday after Thanksgiving, the auto club said Thursday. About 4 million will fly, a 5 percent increase.
AAA and research firm IHS Markit base their forecast on recent and predicted growth in the economy, consumer spending, household wealth and other measures.
Road trips will cost more, however. The national average for a gallon of regular is $2.56, up from $2.16 a year ago.
Car-rental rates are also higher than last year, and so are many hotel rooms, according to AAA. But average airfares on the most popular routes within the U.S. will be the lowest in five years, the group says.
Separately, trade group Airlines for America expects the busiest air-travel day to be the Sunday after Thanksgiving, followed by the Wednesday before it.
Here are some tips from experts on how to handle the stress of traveling over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays:
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