posted by admin on Nov 19
Economic woes are causing individuals to cut their travel plans for the Thanksgiving holiday.
says about 41 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles for the Thanksgiving holiday weekend — a decline of 600,000 people, or 1.4 percent, from last year’s total of 41.6 million highway travelers. That would be the first drop in Thanksgiving travel since 2002, the group says.
Here in Texas, the number of travelers is expected to drop 1.2 percent to 3.2 million. That's the first decline in Thanksgiving travel for Texas in six years and the fourth consecutive travel holiday this year with a year-over-year decrease.
“The overall state of the economy continues to present real challenges for some Americans looking to travel this Thanksgiving,” says AAA President Robert Darbelnet.
About 33 million Americans, or 81 percent of total travelers, are expected to drive during this year’s holiday week, down 1.2 percent from last year.
However, those who travel by car will see lower gasoline prices than they did last year. The nationwide average price for unleaded gasoline is $2.068 per gallon, according to AAA, down from $3.095 a year ago. In Texas, gas prices are even cheaper, averaging less than $1.92 a gallon.
The travel organization says 4.54 million, or 11 percent of total travelers, plan to fly. That’s a 7 percent decrease from last year. AAA says 3.26 million Americans, or 8 percent of travelers, plan to use trains, buses or other modes of transportation. That’s an increase of 5.8 percent over last year.