Nebraska gears up for a busy holiday travel season

NEBRASKA -- As the country is gearing up for the Thanksgiving holiday, travelers across the AAA's West North Central (WNC) Region can expect one of the busiest travel seasons on record. 

"The fourth highest on record for the region, since 2005 with 85,000 more individuals, or 2% more, holiday travelers then we saw this time last year,” said Public Affairs Specialist Brian Ortner. 

Nationally over 55 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more this holiday season, with more than 4 million of those travelers coming from the WNC which includes Nebraska. 

"Those numbers really I think are a good reflection of what Nebraskans will be doing for the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday,” said Ortner. 

The uptick in road tripping this season can be attributed to people wanting to spend more time together during traveling, and the lower of cost of gas. 

According to AAA the average price of gas in Nebraska last year was $3.52 per gallon, but now comes in at $3.20 per gallon. 

"Overall, demand for gasoline is dropping, so that helps with the cost of fuel as well, and the cost of crude oil continues to be below $80 per barrel,” said Ortner. 

Despite numbers still being shy of pre-pandemic travel, it has steadily grown over the last 18 to 24 months. 

Those traveling by plane are urged to purchase tickets with a schedule in mind as it can help on time efficiency and savings. 

"Sunday is the busiest day to return; so if you're able to put off a day over the holiday weekend and come home on Monday, you may find better options for flights and better prices on flights,” said Ortner. 

Before leaving, travelers should have their trips planned out with safety precautions such as performing routine maintenance on their vehicles. 

If you see someone on the side of the road, be courteous and move over and slow your speed down about 10 mph.  

"Be safe on the roads,” said Ortner.