*By Chloe Aiello* Airports nationwide are gearing up for one of the busiest holiday travel weekends on record. But thrifty procrastinators take heart: there may still be some workarounds to help save money on holiday travel this year. [AAA projects](https://newsroom.aaa.com/2018/11/thanksgiving-travel-forecast-2018/) 54.3 million Americans will hit the roads, rails or sky this Thanksgiving weekend. That's the most travelers since 2005, and a close to 5 percent jump from last year. The vast majority of travelers will drive, but airports still expect to field their fair share of passengers ー an estimated 4.3 million, according to AAA. "It's a bottleneck. Thanksgiving suddenly everyone seems to be traveling all at once, in particular travelers who don't travel very much," Mark Ellwood, contributing editor at Conde Nast Traveler told Cheddar on Wednesday. But not all airports ー or travel days ー are created equal. Hopper, an app that predicts and recommends travel routes, ranked the season's busiest airports and days for travel. Wednesday, Nov. 21 is by far the most popular day to depart for Thanksgiving destinations, whereas Sunday, Nov. 25, is the most popular for return trips, Hopper said. As far as airports go, Atlanta is the most popular. An estimated 1.2 million passengers are scheduled to take off from Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport. It's followed closely by Los Angeles International Airport and O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, which anticipate an estimated 1.1 million departures each. Airports in Denver, New York City, San Francisco, Charlotte, North Carolina, Orlando and Seattle round out the top 10. "My main tip really is get out early, try and give yourself at least two hours ... whatever you can do to give yourself as much time as possible, especially if you're going through these busiest airports," Liana Corwin, consumer travel expert at Hopper told Cheddar on Wednesday. And while it may be a little late to save big bucks on flights for the Thanksgiving weekend, there are a few ways frugal travelers can get the best travel value over the holidays ー especially if they're willing to go the extra mile when making travel plans. "If you haven't booked your Thanksgiving travel yet, you are on the later side, and of course flights will be more expensive," Calvin Iverson, travel expert at travel deals website TravelPirates, told Cheddar on Wednesday. Iverson recommended a few hacks for off-price adventurers, including taking trains or buses, flying out from alternative airlines, or booking a "combo trip," which means booking a flight one way, then finding a different way home. "In addition to all that, this is the best time to check in on your points. If you have frequent flyer miles that you haven't used or if your credit card offers rewards, take a look, see, you might have a free flight that you didn't know you could book," he added. And for those looking to take the path less traveled, Iverson recommended some alternative destinations for holiday or winter getaways. "Colder weather usually means fewer tourists, so in the U.S., I like to recommend northern cities, like New York or Boston ... and seasonal beach towns," he said. "You can go to Cape Cod for really good prices, or head down to the Hamptons. North Carolina and South Carolina have great beach towns, too, and this time of year, you can get a much better price." Lastly for those budget hounds willing to wait out Thanksgiving weekend entirely, airlines offer some of the best deals of the season on the Tuesday after Cyber Monday, or what Hopper calls "Travel Deal Tuesday." Hopper is already promoting deals on fares to destinations like Honolulu; Reykjavík, Iceland; Sapporo, Japan; and Cape Town, South Africa. "The Tuesday after Thanksgiving actually has consistently the most airfare sales of the entire post-Thanksgiving sale period ... that's really when airlines are going to be putting out their best deals of the entire year," Corwin said. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/millions-take-to-the-skies-in-thanksgiving-travel-rush).

Share:
More In Culture
Thrive Market Offers Healthy and Sustainable Products at Wholesale Prices
Thrive Market is a health-first membership for conscious living, with a mission to make healthy and sustainable living easy and accessible. Nick Green, CEO and co-founder, chatted with Cheddar's Baker Machado about the company's approach and new ventures in 2022. "I grew up outside of Minneapolis, middle class, middle America, and really saw firsthand how hard my mom had to work to put healthy food on the table, on a budget, without a health food store nearby," he said. "Twenty-some years later we looked around and just thought it was crazy that millions of Americans are still struggling with the same thing, and we decided to change it." Recently the brand released a line of organic frozen products and will be introducing new beauty and home brands.
Microsoft Integrating Activision With 'Next Phase of the Internet' as Its Goal
In what could be the biggest deal in video games history, Microsoft's purchase of Activision Blizzard underlines the company's aggressive push in gaming and beyond into its long-term vision of being top dog in the metaverse. Adam Hollander, former director of gamification at Microsoft and founder of Hungry Wolves NFT, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss. “Microsoft always plays chess, not checkers," he said, describing the price tag as an opportunity cost. "It's about integrating Activision Blizzard in with Azure and Windows and Xbox and Hololens and Minecraft and everything else that they're doing for the inevitable goal of being the major player in the next phase of the internet."
Strella Biotechnology Uses Sensors to Interpret Shelf Life of Produce, Monitor About 15% of U.S. Apples
Food waste is a major contributor to greenhouse gas emissions in the United States. Strella Biotechnology is trying to solve the problem by introducing new technology to a business that's been around for generations -- farming. The 24-year-old CEO created hi-tech sensors that interpret the shelf life of produce and alert farmers when fruits and vegetables are ready to be sent to supermarkets. The company says the process can help farmers make money, reduce food waste and increase the quality of produce. Strella Biotechnology's co-founder and CEO Katherine Sizov and co-founder and COO Jay Jordan joined Cheddar Climate to discuss.
Why Sherpa's Making Climbing Mount Everest Possible
Norbu Tenzing, Vice President of the American Himalayan Foundation and the son of the first Sherpa to ever summit Everest, joins Cheddar Reveals to discuss how Sherpa's put themselves in danger for clients, and the dangers of Everest's 'Death Zone.'
What Netflix Investors Should Look for as Streaming Competition Grows
Netflix may not be staying at the top of the streaming wars, according to some wary investors, as competition heats up and it raises prices yet again. Tuna Amobi, director and senior equity analyst at CFRA Research, spoke with Cheddar about what investors should be considering should they stick with the streaming pioneer or drop the investment. "I think it's always mostly about the subscriber growth for the Q4, which is going to be an indicator of how the company has been navigating the speed bumps that we saw early in the year," said Amobi.
'Scream' Makes Some Noise at Weekend Box Office
Daniel Loría, SVP content strategy and editorial director at Boxoffice Media, joins Cheddar News to discuss what helped 'Scream' score number one at the box office and what it means for the horror genre.
Load More