Nearly 55 million Americans are expected to travel during the Thanksgiving holiday.

AAA predicts 54.6 million people will travel 50 miles or more from home next weekend.

This is a 1.5% increase over 2021 and 98% of pre-pandemic volumes.

This year is projected to be the third busiest for Thanksgiving travel since AAA started tracking in 2000.

For purposes of this forecast, the Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as the five-day period from Wednesday, Nov. 23 to Sunday, Nov. 27.

“People are eager to get back to creating memories with their families and friends this Thanksgiving,” says Sally McCorrison, director of travel services, AAA East Central. “The nearly pre-pandemic levels of travelers will result in heavy traffic congestion and busy airports. Motorists should strategically plan their journey, packing plenty of patience for the drive or flight.”

Most travelers, nearly 49 million people, are expected to travel by car.

While Thanksgiving road trips have slightly risen 0.4% from 2021, car travel remains 2.5% below 2019 levels.

Air travel is up nearly 8% over 2021, with 4.5 million Americans flying to their Thanksgiving destinations this year.

That’s an increase of more than 330,000 travelers and nearly 99% of the 2019 volume.