Thanksgiving Travel to Increase Slightly This Year, AAA Says

Thanksgiving is quickly approaching and that means people are thinking about the three Ts: turkey, trimmings and travel.

Not only will it be a busy time in the kitchen, it will also be busy on the roads and at the airports. But according to the AAA Thanksgiving 2012 Travel Forecast, this year will be busier than last, but not by much. 

According to the report, AAA estimates 43.6 million Americans will travel more than 50 miles from home between Nov. 21 and 25, up 0.7 percent from last year.

Some 90 percent of this year's travelers will be hitting the roads, 39.1 million of them traveling by automobile. And as Thanksgiving approaches, gas prices are expected to continue on a downward trend into the holiday.

In their report, AAA also breaks down their predictions by regions. Here is how they see New England holiday travel this year.

Travel originating from the New England region is expected to increase a modest 0.6 percent over the 2011 Thanksgiving holiday period, an increase that slightly trails the national holiday travel forecast (0.7 percent).

However, a slightly higher percentage of the regional population will travel by air than the broader nation (1.3 percent compared to 1 percent).