*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
How Biden's Build Back Better Act Could Bring Cheaper E-Bikes to the U.S.
President Joe Biden's "Build Back Better" bill could mean cheaper electric bicycles and scooters as the nation attempts to shift away from gas-powered cars. Noa Banayan, the director of federal affairs at PeopleForBikes, joined Cheddar's "Closing Bell" to provide some background on the E-Bike Act included in Biden's reconciliation bill that would provide tax credits for qualified purchases. "We want to make sure, from the bike industry's perspective, that this is a technology and a product that is available to the majority of Americans who want to lower their carbon footprint and get around town faster and do everything that they would normally do in a short car trip but by bike, because it's healthier, it's fast, it's efficient, you're not in traffic," she said.
'Upstream Collective' Looks to Make Creating a DAO More Accessible
It's being called the next big trend in crypto. A decentralized autonomous organization, or DAO, is an internet community of different types of groups and businesses. The purpose is to allow people to commit funds to a specific cause in a safe way. Now, one social platform is creating a do-it-yourself kit for those who want to step into the space. Upstream Collective just launched the beta mode of its platform with the goal of putting all facets of running a DAO in one place. Alex Taub, co-founder and CEO of Upstream, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
NASA to Crash Satellite Into Asteroid During 'DART' Mission
A NASA spacecraft that will deliberately crash into an asteroid is preparing to launch this week. The goal of the DART mission, or the Double Asteroid Redirection Test, is to hit the smaller of the two asteroids, Dimorphos, with the spacecraft at about 15,000 miles per hour and see how the impact changes the asteroid’s trajectory. Joey Roulette, space reporter at The New York Times, joins Cheddar News to talk more about it.
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Returns to the Streets With the Help of Baby Yoda
After a pandemic pause where the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was closed to the public, the annual tradition is returning to the streets of New York with some new, yet familiar, faces. In addition to 10 marching bands, dozens of floats, 30 heritage balloons, and five other newcomers, one creature from a galaxy far, far away is joining the festivities, courtesy of toy manufacturer Funko. Coming in at 41 feet tall, 29 feet long, and 37 feet wide, the Funko Pop!-inspired Grogu balloon, from "The Mandalorian," will make his debut this year. Cheddar's Michelle Castillo reports.
Load More