Traveling During the Busiest Time of the Year

by Madelyn Albright '26
Thanksgiving and the couple days before are the busiest travel days of the year, even surpassing Christmas.

According to AAA, around 864,000 Connecticut residents are expected to travel 50 miles or more for Thanksgiving. Around 77,000 of these residents are expected to travel by car, while 95,000 are expected to use air travel. This means approximately 89% of people traveling will be on the roads, causing crowding and traffic.

Carly Laabs, a senior at Wethersfield High School is traveling to Florida with her family for Thanksgiving. “My family always goes to Florida for Thanksgiving to visit my grandparents.” claims Laabs. “We always make sure to get to the airport 2 hours before our flight, because there's always so many people at security.”

Laabs flies to Florida from the Bradley International Airport (BDL), which is the most popular airport for families in Wethersfield. Bradley International Airport is expecting 95,000 passengers during the Thanksgiving week, so prepare for crowds.

Local business owner of Wethersfield Travel, Melissa Albright, stresses the importance of time management. “Make sure that you download your airline’s app and allow notifications for last minute airline changes and delays.” Albright advises. “Be sure to get there early, 2 hours for domestic, 3 for international, because there's a lot of people traveling.”

Jena Haggerty, another student at Wethersfield High School, is traveling to New Hampshire for Thanksgiving. “We go in the morning so there is less traffic,” said Haggerty. “There are usually a lot of people on the roads, especially while driving through Boston.” 

Haggerty recommends using Waze for navigation, since it sends alerts of all traffic updates. 

If traveling on I-91 North/South, expect slow traffic while approaching Hartford. Route 99, also known as the Silas Deane Highway, will be crowded with families especially in the afternoon. Expect major delays if you are driving towards Boston or New York on I-84 East/West.

Traffic, especially on those key locations, is expected to reach its peak on Wednesday, Nov. 26 between 1 p.m. and 5 p.m. To avoid this, it is best to drive on Thanksgiving Day, before 10 a.m., or later at around 7 p.m.

With the right time management, planning, and preparation, Wethersfield families can reach their destinations on time and with little stress.

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