Nearly 82 million travelers are forecasted to hit the road and the skies this Thanksgiving — a record-breaking number, one North American travel organization predicted.

Travel organization AAA estimates 81.8 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home during the holiday travel period from Tuesday through Dec. 1. This includes 1.6 million more domestic travelers compared to Thanksgiving 2024, setting a new overall record, AAA said in a news release last week.

Compared to other holidays like Memorial Day or Independence Day, Thanksgiving is the “single busiest holiday for travel,” the organization said.

Data from AAA show the number of Thanksgiving travelers has increased steadily year-over-year since 2020; that year saw 56.8 million travelers compared with 77.8 million in 2019. The COVID-19 pandemic drastically reduced travel world-wide in 2020.

Last year, 80.2 million people traveled for the Thanksgiving holiday, data show.

More Americans are traveling this year despite economic uncertainty and the recent end to the longest government shutdown on record.

“When we talk about travel, we’re talking, fundamentally, about the economy,” Skyler McKinley, a regional AAA spokesman for Colorado and North Dakota, said last week. “Folks travel when they believe they’ve got spending money to do it. There were indicators saying this wouldn’t be a big year for travel, but despite the economy and the shutdown, Americans are still traveling. They see travel as a right, not a privilege.”

Americans also associate Thanksgiving with traveling to spend time with loved ones, Vice President of AAA Travel Stacey Barber said in the release.

Though AAA does not provide state-level forecasts, McKinley expects travel among Coloradans to be on par with national trends.

“Coloradans tend to have attained higher levels of education, have higher incomes and many have moved here from somewhere else … so we see more Coloradans traveling than you’d expect, on a per capita basis, for the holidays,” he said.

Though no Colorado cities were among AAA’s top 10 Thanksgiving destinations, people often travel to the state for holiday and seasonal recreation.

“We’re a big beneficiary of folks traveling here, and that is typically linked to the high country and ski season. It has been a dry fall here, but we’ll still see people who will fly into Denver International Airport, rent a car and drive to the high country. Thanksgiving tends to mark the kickoff for those winter revelers,” he said.

By plane

AAA predicts 6 million American travelers will take domestic flights this Thanksgiving holiday travel period, or 2% more than last year. Except in 2020, the number of air travelers over the last several years has been between 5 million and 6 million, the organization said.

Airport officials in Colorado Springs expect roughly the same number of flyers this Thanksgiving as last year. Denver International Airport expects to see 10% more flyers this year.

Colorado Springs Airport projects about 72,200 passengers will board planes between Saturday and Nov. 30, spokeswoman Aidan Ryan said.

“Overall Thanksgiving travel volume is projected to remain similar to 2024 levels, resulting in generally flat year-over-year traffic,” she said.

Sunday, Nov. 30, is predicted to be the busiest travel day at Colorado Springs Airport, and the Wednesday before Thanksgiving its second-busiest. This is consistent with national trends, Ryan said.

The municipal airport’s $36 million concourse modernization project, called Elevate COS, is ongoing. The airport is updating gates, gate counters, flooring and ceilings, installing new podiums and larger hold rooms, and more.

Travelers will note construction zones throughout the concourse, exit ramp and meet-and-greet areas. Evolve by Hudson reopened this weekend after renovations, and a temporary retail space is operating between Gates 7 and 9, Ryan said.

The Mountain View Food Court and Atrevida Beer Company remain open throughout construction. Colorado Craft, under renovation, is expected to open in early 2026.

The project is on track to be completed by the end of May, Ryan said.

Denver International Airport is preparing for a surge of Thanksgiving travelers.

In a recent news release, officials said more than 845,000 passengers will travel through the airport’s security checkpoints between Friday and Dec. 1.

The busiest travel days at DIA will be Tuesday, Nov. 29 and Nov. 30. More than 271,000 people are forecast to go through security screening on those three days. Nov. 30 will be the busiest day overall for travel at DIA, with more than 96,000 people predicted to be screened.

Portions of the Denver airport are also under construction, part of the ongoing $1.3 billion Great Hall Program that will reinvent the welcome area under DIA’s iconic white tents. It’s expected to be completed in 2027.

Among key changes, all security checkpoints are now on the north end of Level 6, at the opposite end of the Hotel and Transit Center. The south security checkpoint is no longer operating.

Travelers said on a Gazette Facebook post earlier this month that going through Colorado Springs and Denver airports had been quick and easy, even amid the shutdown that lasted from Oct. 1-Nov. 12.

“Operations have been and remain normal at (DIA),” the airport said in an email Thursday.

Ryan said “normal operations have resumed” at Colorado Springs Airport, too.

The Federal Aviation Administration last week terminated its temporary flight reduction emergency order that cut flights by 10% across the nation’s 40 busiest airports, including Denver. The reduction was implemented to maintain safety during the ongoing government shutdown.

Normal operations have resumed across the National Airspace System, an FAA spokesperson said last week.

Flyers should arrive at the airport early so they have enough time to park, check-in with their airline and go through Transportation Security Administration screenings, airport officials said.

Travelers should have a REAL ID, must comply with TSA’s 3-1-1 liquids rule and should not bring prohibited materials in their bags, Ryan said.

If there is inclement weather, people can monitor their flight status with their airline or through their airport’s flight status website.

Track Colorado Springs Airport’s TSA wait times online at ifly.com. For other traveler information, visit coloradosprings.gov/flycos.

Security wait times at DIA are online at flydenver.com/security. Find other traveler information at flydenver.com.

By car

The majority of Americans traveling for Thanksgiving, 90%, will go by car.

At least 73 million people will hit the road, 1.3 million more than last year, AAA predicts.

For people who are renting cars, Wednesday will be the busiest day for pick-up, vehicle rental company and AAA partner Hertz said.

It will also be less expensive to rent a car this Thanksgiving compared to last; AAA booking data show domestic car rentals are 15% cheaper this Thanksgiving.

Travelers can expect to pay around the same price for fuel as they did last year, when the national average cost of a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.06 on Thanksgiving Day 2024, AAA said.

Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons will be the most congested traffic periods before Thanksgiving Day, and Nov. 30 the heaviest day for traffic after the holiday, according to INRIX, which provides transportation data and insights.

Drivers should get on the road early to avoid the worst congestion, McKinley recommended. Drivers should also address outstanding issues with their vehicles, check their batteries and tires, and fuel up before they begin their journeys.

“If you think there is anything marginal on your vehicle, you’re having issues or you haven’t been to a mechanic in a while, go now. People are going to be at home with their families this holiday, and that includes mechanics, so it can be a little more difficult to get your car fixed if you need assistance,” he said.

Colorado State Patrol, 68 local law enforcement agencies and the Colorado Department of Transportation on Thursday began a Thanksgiving weekend DUI enforcement period.

Drivers could see saturation patrols, sobriety checkpoints and more officers out arresting impaired drivers through Dec. 3, CDOT said in a Wednesday news release.

Across Colorado, troopers arrested 423 drivers for driving under the influence over the 2024 Thanksgiving weekend DUI enforcement period, a nearly 20% increase from 2023, according to the release.

“Sadly, major holidays can be an especially dangerous time on our roadways. … If holiday festivities compromise your safety when getting behind the wheel, don’t do it. Don’t let an unsafe choice turn a joyous day into a tragedy,” CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew said.