Best and Worst Times To Hit The Road For Christmas, New Year's

Above, Christmas in California two years ago before the pandemic.

Like last Christmas, I am staying put at home this year.

Last year was basically due to the pandemic. This year, it is due to the car repairs I had to do with the Mustang this past month. In total, the amount was slightly over $1,100. On top of that, gasoline prices are over a buck more per gallon than last year.

There are those brave souls who will travel during the holiday and SiouxlandProud has posted information on the best and worst times to hit the road.

They begin with:

(NEXSTAR) – If you haven’t yet made plans for your Christmas and New Year’s travels, you may not want to wait any longer. Roughly one in three Americans are expected to travel for the holidays, and with the vast majority relying on cars to get them to their destination, AAA is already warning of delays on roadways.

While gas costs roughly $1.25 more per gallon this year compared to last year, AAA estimates over 100 million Americans are planning to get to their holiday destination via cars. In 2020, just 78.5 million hit the road for Christmas and New Year’s.

AAA reports only marginal travel delays are expected throughout the holiday week, but major metro areas may see travel take twice — or in some places, three times — as long as normal.

For those living or commuting through Boston, Chicago, Detroit and San Francisco, traffic congestion is expected to peak on Dec. 23, according to data from INRIX, which provides connected car services and transportation analytics. New York and Washington D.C. can expect traffic congestion to reach its peak on Dec. 27 while Seattle’s peak congestion is forecasted for Dec. 28. Atlanta, Houston and Los Angeles will face the most traffic on Jan. 2.

Using data from INRIX, AAA has predicted the best and worst times to travel for each of the 11 days between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2 nationwide.

So, if those of you who are reading this and are planning to hit the road, you may want to take a good look at the full article.

To do so, go here.