Travel experts predict Thanksgiving week traffic is going to be at an all-time high this year, with 4.4 million Southern Californians expected to travel - 3.8 million of those people will be hitting the roads.
That's the second-largest number of travelers on record, following 2019 as number one.
"For many people, this is the first holiday they are able to reconnect with loved ones and that is why we are expecting this to be a very busy travel week," explained Doug Shupe, spokesperson for Southern California AAA.
To miss as much of the traffic as possible, timing is key.
Whether you're headed north or south along the coast, traffic is forecast to be heavy.
"The two busiest days here in Southern California on our freeways will be Tuesday and Wednesday. The afternoon hours are going to be particularly heavy with congestion," Shupe said.
As usual, commuter times are the worst. Between 2-7 p.m., commuter traffic will mix with holiday traffic.
Travel experts say the best window of opportunity is as early as possible Tuesday or Wednesday, or better yet, Thanksgiving day itself.
According to AAA, the Central Coast is one of the top 5 destinations in California to travel to this holiday.
