PORTLAND, Ore. — Nearly 750,000 Oregonians are traveling for Thanksgiving this year, according to AAA. In fact, this year marks the highest number of people traveling for Thanksgiving since 2005. Numbers show 55 million Americans plan to travel for the holiday.
However, if you plan to fly out of the Portland International Airport, the busiest travel day already happened.
"There's a myth, an urban myth, that says the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the busiest travel day ever and for us that's never really been the case," said Kama Simonds with the Port of Portland.
Simonds said Friday, Nov. 22, was the busiest travel day of Thanksgiving week, with more than 56,000 travelers. Simonds said travel in Portland is more spread out because of school schedules in the area.
"This is the second or third year in a row that Portland public schools have had parent teacher conferences, so it tends to elongate the travel days a little bit," Simonds said. "Some families decide to get out of town a little bit early and have a few extra days cause the kids aren't in school all week."
The day before Thanksgiving will be close to Friday's numbers with an estimated 55,200 people in and out of PDX. However, it will not be as crowded as other major airports.
"Remember that if you're going to one of the huge [markets], you know, Chicago, New York, Los Angeles ... they really are feeling nationally a growth, a flux of travel this season," Simonds said.
If you plan to travel by train, Amtrak recommends buying tickets now. Last year, Amtrak said it saw a 60% increase in travelers the Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after.
The majority of Oregonians plan to drive to their Thanksgiving destinations. AAA said to expect to see the most traffic Tuesday and Wednesday between 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
If you're driving east or south from the Portland area, the National Weather Service is urging people to either travel before Tuesday morning or wait until Wednesday afternoon because of snow and possible treacherous conditions.
The Oregon coast, central Oregon, and British Columbia are the top three most popular destinations among drivers for Thanksgiving, according to AAA. Several drivers left Monday to avoid the traffic jam that is expected Tuesday and Wednesday evening.
“Definitely leaving early to beat traffic,” explained David Luster who is driving to Grants Pass for Thanksgiving.
“Getting out early and spending a couple of days at the beach before we have to cook,” explained Kate Vincent who is headed to the Oregon coast.