If you're new to my blog, I like to sprinkle in some posts with travel tips to help make your next adventure less stressful. This time, I'm giving you some tips specific to Thanksgiving travel that can be useful no matter what your holiday plans are! Keep in mind that travel will be busiest Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday during the week of Thanksgiving. There's a lot of people that don't want to stay at their Thanksgiving destination longer than absolutely necessary, so those will be the busiest days with Thursday being the least traveled of those 3 days.
Solo Thanksgiving Travel
Heading to a Thanksgiving gathering on your own? My recommendation is to get on the road early in the morning if you're driving. This is a great way to avoid some of the holiday traffic. If possible, I also suggest sharing your location with someone. It can be especially dangerous driving on the road during holidays and you want someone to be able to keep track of your whereabouts in case something goes wrong. This is something I do when driving longer distances by myself. It's best to err on the side of caution.
If you're flying, flights during the week of Thanksgiving can be difficult to book. If you can, try to depart for your destination the week before and return home during the week after the holiday. Domestic flights are very full at this time no matter what, so I recommend booking early to ensure the best opportunity to get a seat since there will be families booking multiple seats on flights. They will fill up quickly!
Friendsgiving Travel
If you're able to, carpooling is the way to go. This is especially important if you know there will be limited parking available at your destination –– the fewer the cars the better. Having to only park 1 or 2 vehicles on the street or in the driveway is far easier than trying to find space for 5 or more cars. It's also better for the environment when you carpool. Keep in mind that you'll want to leave some room to securely store food and beverages in the vehicle for the ride. Towels and blankets are great for serving double-duty by keeping dishes warm and preventing them from moving around too much while driving. If the vehicle your squad is traveling in has a larger trunk, it may be a good idea to get a trunk organizer to help keep anything stored in the back from sliding. Some organizers even have a cooler in case you have anything that needs to stay cold during the drive. If there's anything with a lot of liquid that could potentially spill, having rubber floor mats is a must!
Family Thanksgiving Travel
The tips about how to pack up the car in the Friendsgiving section are relevant if traveling to as a family to your Thanksgiving meal. If you'll be on the road for a long time, you'll want to plan breaks in advance and, as I previously mentioned, try to get on the road early because there's usually far fewer cars on the road before 10:00am. You can refer to my travel do's and don'ts for additional tips on how to make the journey as stress-free as possible. Parents obviously know this already, but remember to pack snacks and various forms of entertainment for the children! The longer the drive, the more likely kids will become restless. My mom did this with me growing up and still keeps those items in her truck to this day. It was nice being able to reach into the trunk as a kid to grab my napping supplies before getting comfortable in my seat as we drove to our destination. I keep a pillow and blanket in my vehicle as an adult in case I ever have a passenger that wants to take a nap while I drive.
Driving is not the most ideal travel option for all families. If you plan to fly, just remember that flights will be expensive during the holiday season, starting with Thanksgiving. If you want to save money, I suggest aiming to use airline miles if you have them or setting a price tracker for your preferred travel dates. I mentioned this for solo travelers, but seats really do fill up quickly on domestic Thanksgiving flights. Make sure to book early enough so your family can all be seated with or near each other on the same flight. Non-stop flights will likely be more expensive and get completely booked faster than flights with one or more layovers. This will be important to keep in mind as you consider your different flight options. If you have more money to spend, there are some different private charter services you could look into if you want to make sure everyone in your family flies together with increased comfort and ease.
"Non-traditional" Thanksgiving Travel
Do you have the opportunity to enjoy a long weekend or even a full week away from work and attending or making Thanksgiving dinner isn't your priority? I come to you with the suggestion of traveling abroad! With the focus being primarily on domestic flights at Thanksgiving (other countries don't exactly have this holiday and Canada's Thanksgiving is in October), international flights tend to be cheaper for those dates and you can get some great deals when you book 4-6 weeks early during travel's "offseason". Just be aware of things like currency exchange or current issues and events that may impact your travel plans. Travel insurance is a good add-on item when booking trips and is something I recommend if there's even the slightest possibility that something could abruptly change your itinerary. An international trip is a great option consider whether you are traveling solo or with family or friends. Don't forget to pay attention to the weather before leaving for your trip so you pack the correct clothing!
Feel free to leave comments below, tweet (@KimiThoughts), or leave a post/message on Facebook (@KimisTravelThoughts) and share your thoughts on this list or if you plan to use any of the recommendations from this post!