Many US Thanksgiving travellers hoping to leave politics behind

AAA said more people are traveling this Thanksgiving compared to years past because the economy is doing much better.

Sunday will be the busiest day when people return home.

Average U.S. gasoline prices are the second-lowest in eight years, driving projected Thanksgiving weekend travel to levels not seen since before the Great Recession.

AAA predicts 48 million people will travel more than 50 miles for the Thanksgiving holiday, that’s 1 million more than past year and the most since 2007.

On Wednesday, Thompson, 23, missed her Amtrak train from Chicago to Galesburg, Illinois, where she’d planned to catch a ride with a family member the rest of the way to Edinburgh, Indiana. Well, setting aside the philosophy we can answer that question based on cash spent by families around the holiday. However, about 89% of Thanksgiving travelers are expected to drive to their destinations.

More than 45 million Americans are expected to hit the road for the holidays. More than 1.1 million Tennesseans are expected to travel, a 3.7 percent increase. Bus and train trips will grow less than 1 percent, the auto group said.

AAA also warned of an increase in alcohol and drug-related highway crashes over the Thanksgiving weekend.

Hotel rates average $123-$155 daily. The Torrance refinery in California returned to operation in May and contributed to the West Coast average gasoline price declining from 50 cents per gallon above the national average (January-May) to 41 cents above the national average (May-November).

Roads will be the busiest in years, but gas prices are near the lowest they’ve been in nearly a decade. a US government report finds.

Recent data show Americans feel more optimistic about their economic prospects.

Before setting out on a Thanksgiving trip, travelers should download the free AAA Mobile app for iPhone, iPad and Android. Troopers will also be working high visibility patrols at the Maryland House and Chesapeake House rest areas to deter crime and assist travelers moving through the state. In the past week, average gas prices declined 5 cents in Florida, 7 in Georgia and 6 in Tennessee, according to a news release from AAA.