Thanksgiving travel is underway, with AAA Kansas predicting 879,299 Kansans to travel 50 miles or more from home during the holiday travel period Tuesday November 25the through the holiday weekend. That’s an increase of 1.8% from 2024.
Thanksgiving is the single busiest holiday for travel, and according to AAA travel projections, this year is no exception across America and here in the Sunflower State.
Here’s a quick look at some of the numbers, trends and tips from AAA:
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879,299 – Number of Kansans
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90.2% – Percentage of Kansas travelers who will drive to their Thanksgiving holiday destination. The 793,152 road trippers is a 1.3% increase from last year.
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81.8 million – Number of travelers nationwide AAA projects will travel for the Thanksgiving holiday, a 2% increase compared to 2024.
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73.3 million – Number of travelers nationwide who will drive to their Thanksgiving destinations. This represents an additional 1.3 million road travelers during the holiday compared to 2024.
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$2.71 – Kansas average cost per gallon of regular unleaded gasoline, as of 11/18/25, 2 cents higher than the average one year ago and 9th lowest in the nation. (Source: https://gasprices.aaa.com/)
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868 – Death toll nationally in drunk driving related crashes from 2019-2023, representing 35% of all traffic crash fatalities during the Thanksgiving holiday period, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. AAA and MADD remind travelers about the dangers of impaired driving and urge them to have a plan in place before Thanksgiving by using a rideshare, designating a sober driver, or taking public transit to ensure everyone’s safety.
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15% – Decrease in domestic rental car prices this Thanksgiving compared to 2024.
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3% – Decrease in price of domestic hotels this Thanksgiving week compared to last year.
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2.1% – Percent increase in the number of people who will travel by air nationwide this Thanksgiving holiday compared to last year. Kansas air travel will be up 1.8%.
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2.5 million – Number of people nationwide expected to travel by other modes of transportation, including buses, cruises, and trains. This an increase of 8.6% compared to last year. Kansas travel by other modes is up 8.6% this year compared to 2024.
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$1,650 – Average cost of cruises departing from U.S. cities this Thanksgiving holiday, 40% more expensive compared to the same time last year.
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2,900 – Number of calls AAA Kansas emergency roadside service crews responded to during the 2024 Thanksgiving travel period.
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Top 3 reasons motorists call for AAA emergency roadside assistance:
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Vehicle breakdown requiring a tow
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Dead battery
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Tire problems
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Be sure to have your vehicle inspected and serviced to make sure it’s road-ready for your holiday trip.
Top Domestic Destinations for this Thanksgiving, based on AAA Travel bookings:
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Orlando, FL
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Fort Lauderdale, FL
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Miami, FL
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Tampa, FL
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Anaheim/Los Angeles, CA
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New York, NY
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San Francisco, CA
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Honolulu, HI
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Las Vegas, NV
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Atlanta, GA
Top International Destinations:
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Paris, France
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Amsterdam, Netherlands
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Vienna, Austria
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Cancun, Mexico
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Punta Cana, Dominican Republic
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Basel, Switzerland
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Sydney, Australia
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Barcelona, Spain
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Budapest, Hungary
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Oranjestad, Aruba
Other helpful tools:
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KanDrive.gov – Kansas Department of Transportation website for details on road construction, detours and road conditions.
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AAA Mobile App – Available for free on Google Play and the Apple App store, this app allows motorists to find the cheapest gas price near their location, request AAA emergency roadside assistance, tap in to discounts and rewards, book travel and more.
