CHICAGO — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
Will you be traveling by car or airplane for Thanksgiving?
Despite the rising gas prices across the country, that is not stopping travelers from driving to their destinations this holiday season.
According to new data from Cars.com, out of the 57% of Americans traveling during the Thanksgiving holiday, 84% of those travelers plan to drive to their Thanksgiving destination.
Since the COVID-19 Pandemic, many employees have continued to work in a remote or hybrid setting. Nearly 65% of workers who work in those flexible conditions will drive rather than fly to their destinations this holiday season.
The reasoning behind this is due to the fear of flight disruptions, flexible work schedules and an overall continued concern for the COVID-19 pandemic.
“With more companies turning to permanent remote or hybrid schedules for American workers coupled with ongoing pandemic concerns, holiday travel decisions are shifting and providing a more compelling reason to drive personal vehicles over other forms of transportation,” said Mike Hanley, Cars.com senior editor. “For many, the lower costs, increased flexibility and added convenience are enough to tip the scale in favor of road trips this holiday season.”
A survey by Cars.com, also found the following insights on Thanksgiving travel in 2021:
More flexibility, more distance traveled. With more time to travel and a willingness to venture farther from home, more than half of respondents (58%) plan to travel farther this year for Thanksgiving than they did last year. The most popular region for travel is the South (36%).
Thanksgiving rush hour peaks the weekend before. With the ability to work away from the office now an option for many Americans, nearly half of respondents (48%) plan to leave the weekend prior to Thanksgiving (Friday through Sunday).
Precious cargo also plays a role for drivers. For drivers with children, 65% say they plan to road-trip due to increased convenience that personal transportation provides, such as with car seats. Nearly 80% of respondents are pet owners and 39% of them will bring their pets along. Another 18% of pet owners said they typically fly but are now driving in order to bring along their animal companions.
Those interested in reading more about the Thanksgiving travel survey can visit https://www.cars.com/news/