Planning for Thanksgiving travel is tricky, mostly because a ton of other people are also simultaneously planning for Thanksgiving travel, which means the roads are going to be crowded no matter what time you leave. But with a little help from Google (Google Maps and Google News Lab), you might avoid some of the congestion so you can get to your family dinner of Friendsgiving with less driving stress.
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“According to Google, the worst time to leave before Thanksgiving is Wednesday from 3 to 4 p.m., and the worst time to depart after Thanksgiving is Sunday afternoon,” reports People writer Hannah Chubb. “Good news for early birds: Based on last year’s data, they suggest leaving before 4 a.m. on Wednesday for the best pre-holiday travel, and heading back out on Friday before 4…in the morning.”
If these early morning suggestions make you lose all your Thanksgiving happiness or makes you rethink your travel plans, you can always consult Google to see how traffic is moving in your neck of the woods to help determine the most favorable time possible to hit the road.
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If you’re toying with the idea of getting into the Black Friday shopping game, you’ll appreciate that your travel time shouldn’t be any more intense than what you’re used to.
“Interestingly, the national data show that Black Friday traffic is typically no heavier than an average Friday morning commute (do we have an influx of e-commerce to blame?), though the most commonly searched locations during the holiday are department stores,” Chubb reports.
Whenever you choose to head out to celebrate with loved ones, be sure to factor in extra time just in case traffic is unavoidable on your route.
News Source: People
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