A booming economy, declining gas prices and growing household wealth could fuel one of the biggest Thanksgiving travel holidays in more than a decade.
More than 54 million Americans – the most since 2005 – are expected to travel 50 miles or more this holiday, representing a 4.8 percent increase over 2017, according to auto club AAA. It’s been a dozen years since the volume of travelers has been as high, with 2.5 million more people hitting the roads, skies, rails and waterways this year than last year, AAA said.
“Consumers have a lot to be thankful for this holiday season: higher wages, more disposable income and rising levels of household wealth,” said Bill Sutherland, AAA Travel senior vice president. “This is translating into more travelers kicking off the holiday season with a Thanksgiving getaway, building on a positive year for the travel industry.”
A predicted 1.2 million Tennesseans will travel for the holiday, a 4.8 percent increase over 2017, with 1.18 million of them going by car, a 5.1 percent increase; 39,000 Tennesseans will fly, a 4.9 percent increase; and 14,000 will go by trains, buses or cruise ships, an increase of 0.2 percent, said Stephanie Milani, AAA Tennessee public affairs director.
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