If you’re traveling for Thanksgiving over the next week, pack your patience. This holiday travel season is set to be one of the busiest in years, according to projections from the Automobile Club of Southern California.
A record 4.6 million Southern Californians are expected to travel for Thanksgiving. That’s a 3 percent increase from last year’s record number of travelers and a 3.5 percent increase from 2019, the last pre-pandemic Thanksgiving.
Nationally, this is expected to be the third busiest Thanksgiving travel season on record, with 55.4 million Americans projected to travel.
For San Diegans heading out of town or welcoming guests, here’s what you need to know about Thanksgiving Day travel from Nov. 22 through Nov. 26.
Buckle up for busy roads (and skies and seas)
A gas pump at Laurel Pacific Gas.
(Meg McLaughlin/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Most people will be hitting the roads for Thanksgiving with about 3.9 million Southern Californians projected to travel by car. The demand for travel is evident as those figures are up about 2 percent from last year and 3 percent from 2019.
“Travel demand has been strong all year, and AAA’s Thanksgiving travel forecast reflects people’s ongoing desire to get away and spend time with their loved ones,” said Jenna Miller, the Auto Club’s vice president for travel products and services.
Gas prices are (barely) down from a year ago. A regular gallon of gasoline is averaging $5.19 per gallon in San Diego right now. Last year, gas prices were at about $5.47 per gallon, according to AAA, which at the time was a relief after San Diego gas prices hit an all-time high in October that year.
Air travel across Southern California and the U.S. is up about 7 percent this year. In Southern California, AAA projects roughly 10 percent more people traveling by air than in 2019.
Overall, more people are also traveling this year by bus, train and cruise ship — a 10 percent increase for Southern California. In San Diego, the cruise industry has rebounded with pre-pandemic levels of passengers.
San Diego is one of the top 10 destinations for people traveling domestically in the U.S. Among Southern Californians, San Diego is the second most popular destination this holiday, behind Las Vegas.
Take note San Diego, these are the worst times, routes to drive
Westbound traffic on state Route 78 backs up at the entrance ramp to southbound I-5.
(Bill Wechter/For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Plan your commute wisely because the overall busiest time to drive is Nov. 22 — a Wednesday — between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m., according to transportation analytics firm INRIX. However, if you must travel that day, the best time to leave is before 11 a.m.
SoCal freeways will start to slow down more than usual a couple of days before Thanksgiving. Add in the sudden closure of the I-10 freeway in Los Angeles this week because of a fire, and that travel time just got longer for some travelers.
“The day before Thanksgiving is notoriously one of the most congested days on our roadways. Travelers should be prepared for long delays, especially in and around major metros,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “Knowing when and where congestion will build can help minimize holiday traffic frustrations.”
San Diego should experience peak congestion on the I-15 South from Palm Springs on Nov. 26 — Sunday — around 4:45 p.m., AAA says. That route should take about 2 hours and 39 minutes, or 24 percent longer than usual.
Whether you’re heading home on Saturday or Sunday after Thanksgiving, AAA says it’s best to leave before noon because the worst time to drive is from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
Tips for navigating parking, construction at San Diego Airport
Progress to date on the construction of the new Terminal 1. Construction of the new parking garage at the San Diego International Airport.
(Alejandro Tamayo/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Traveling through San Diego Airport will require more advanced planning from travelers as the remodel of Terminal 1 impacts parking and roadways. The site is two years into San Diego’s single largest airport project — a $3.4 billion development that will add parking and more gates.
But until that project is complete, parking is limited to the Terminal 2 Parking Plaza, which supports 3,135 spaces. Nicole Hall, spokesperson for the San Diego Airport Authority, recommends reserving a spot in advance as they anticipate the parking plaza will be at capacity on most days during the Thanksgiving holiday.
Hall suggests arriving at least two hours before your flight to mitigate stress and to have enough time to navigate “pain points” in traffic during construction.
“While we’re under construction, we really encourage people to look for any type of directional signs that they need to follow and anticipate that there will be possible traffic congestion, and to give themselves enough time to get to the airport,” Hall said.
For instance, the airport recently opened a new entrance, and drivers need to be aware of the change.
“When you’re coming to the airport heading westbound on North Harbor Drive, get into your right-hand lane,” to avoid any last-minute lane changes, Hall said.
The airport expects an average of 79,000 to 84,000 passengers arriving and departing each day. Overall, San Diego Airport could see as many as 580,000 passengers during the holiday travel week.
Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving as well as the Sunday and Monday after should be the airport’s busiest travel days, Hall said.
Another option is to park off site. There are a number of lots listed on the airport’s website, including the Old Town Transit Center, which has a free shuttle to the airport. Hall also encourages people to rideshare or take public transportation, such as the MTS 992 bus from downtown.
For people dropping off or picking up friends and family from the airport, they can park for free in the cell phone lot off of McCain Road. Hall recommends this option rather than stopping along the curbs or having to circle the airport roads.
