Happy Thanksgiving!

We all know this is one of the busiest times of year for car travel. And with the economy, more and more Thanksgiving travelers are opting for getting to their destination by road.

The majority of Thanksgiving travelers leave for their destinations on Wednesday or Thursday. From Wednesday morning on, the roads will get increasingly crowded, until later on in the day Thursday, when families are likely to be sharing their Thanksgiving meal together. If you want to avoid the crowds, take Wednesday off and leave on Tuesday evening or Tuesday afternoon. The return trip is just as busy for road travel. Many people who visit their families on Thanksgiving either leave for home on Thursday night, or stay for the weekend and return on Saturday or Sunday. If you want to avoid traffic on your return trip, the best time to leave is Friday. While many make their journey home on Friday, some wait until Saturday or Sunday.

When you plan your departure time for the Thanksgiving holiday, think about the major cities that you'll be traveling through. Try to time your route so that you're not driving through a major city during rush hour. Many cities have alternate freeway routes that skirt around the city, and often are less crowded. These can still have plenty of traffic on them during rush hour, so try to time your driving time for the middle of the day or late in the evening. So, just remember, be prepared for traffic backups and drivers that may have a rather short temper. If you are patient than in all likelyhood, others will be too.