Las Vegas is One of the Top Thanksgiving Travel Destinations

Thanksgiving is on the way, and if you're planning to be in Las Vegas over the holiday, note that the Las Vegas area is one of the busiest travel destinations over the Thanksgiving holiday. In general, travel is going to be busy, as AAA projects 79.9 million travelers will travel 50 miles or more from home over the Thanksgiving holiday travel period. That period includes the Tuesday before through the Monday after Thanksgiving Day.

According to AAA, during that time, around 80 million travelers are expected to be on the road, which is an increase of 1.7 million people compared to 2023 and 2 million more than in 2019.

According to AAA, "top destinations" for Thanksgiving travel include Las Vegas, New York, California and Hawaii, when it comes to domestic travel. Las Vegas, specifically, is the No. 9 most popular domestic travel spot for Thanksgiving. "Internationally, Europe and the Caribbean dominate the list thanks to their beach resorts, tourist attractions, and river cruises," AAA notes.

If you're looking to rent a car this holiday, you're not alone, especially if you're in Vegas. Per AAA's car rental partner Hertz, Las Vegas, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Miami, Oahu, Orlando and Phoenix all have the highest rental demand for Thanksgiving. If you want to avoid the crowds, note that the busiest car pick-up day is usually the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, and the busiest days to return your ride will probably be the Monday and Tuesday after Thanksgiving. Sending traditional Christmas cards and packages could be on the rise, too, so make sure to hit shipping deadlines.

It's going to be a very busy time on the roads, in general, this holiday, as AAA projects a record 71.7 million people will travel by car. They note that number is "an additional 1.3 million travelers on the road compared to last year" and also "surpasses pre-pandemic numbers when 70.6 million people drove to their Thanksgiving destinations in 2019."

According to AAA's gas prices indicator, gas prices are lower this Thanksgiving season compared to last season. They state the national average last Thanksgiving Day was $3.26, and this season, they're projecting that "falling oil prices this autumn may help push the national average below $3 a gallon for the first time since 2021, and that could happen before drivers hit the road for Thanksgiving."

Air travel is also expected to hit a new record. Per AAA, 5.84 million people are expected to fly domestically this holiday. That's an increase of 2% compared to 2023 and even about 11% more than in 2019.