Thanksgiving Travel Tips You'll Be Thankful for

Predictions say that nearly 47 million Americans are planning to travel away from home over the upcoming Thanksgiving break. It’s the busiest travel week of the year and expected to be even busier than normal since gas prices are the lowest they’ve been since 2007. Follow these tips to help things go a little more smoothly and remember that everyone stuck in that traffic jam is probably just as frustrated as you are (that’s tip #1).

Avoid “peak” travel times. I use the word “peak” lightly because the entire week is always insane. We know to beware of Tuesday, Wednesday and the following Sunday, but the best day for travel is actually Thanksgiving day. Since that’s not feasible for many people, leaving early in the morning or late at night on your departure day can help save some time!

Don’t forget the kids. (Not literally!) Long trips can seem a lot longer with cranky children asking “are we there yet?” every 2 minutes. Pack some snacks and a few games. Introduce them to good ol’ iSpy, the license plate game, or any of these 10 car games for kids to keep them busy for a while. Don’t forget to bring along some pillows and blankets to help make the trip a little more comfortable.

Use a real-time travel app like Waze or Google Maps. You’ll wonder how you ever traveled without them, trust me.

Give yourself some extra time. Traffic jams, bathroom breaks, and amped up security everywhere can slow things down a bit. Allotting extra time can save you from stressing.