When’s the best time to hit the road for Thanksgiving?
Nov 18, 2014, 6:07 AM | Updated: 7:25 am
A new study finds the busiest traffic in Seattle during Thanksgiving week happens between 2:00 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Wednesday before the holiday. (AP file)
(AP file)
Looking to avoid the worst traffic as you head out of town for Thanksgiving? Google says you better hit the road before 2:00 p.m. or after 7 p.m. to avoid the rush next Wednesday.
That’s just one of the nuggets gleaned from a new report analyzing Thanksgiving travel trends the company released Tuesday.
Google Maps crunched the numbers and found the worst traffic for all of Thanksgiving week is at 4 p.m. Wednesday as the masses all take to the road to get to grandma’s house.
As for Thanksgiving Day itself, far fewer people are out and about, as many of us have come to expect. The holiday has the least traffic in the week, with most people driving that day on the road between noon and 2:00 p.m.
The analysis finds if you’re looking to avoid the peak traffic on your return trip, congestion is about 28 percent worse on Saturday than Sunday.
The company also analyzed the top search terms on Google Maps, with the bus station, toll station and train station topping the list for the day before Thanksgiving.
On Turkey Day, it seems a lot of people are already looking ahead to what comes after dinner, with outlet mall, ferry terminal, electronics store, bus station and casino topping the list of the most popular searches.
There’s little surprise what’s on many people’s minds the day after Thanksgiving, with electronics store, outlet mall and office supply store among the top searches.
Nationally, the top three Google Maps trends the day before Thanksgiving were ham shop, pie shop, and liquor store.
On Thanksgiving Day nationwide, outlet mall is the top trend, with a lot of folks setting their sights on Black Friday.
Perhaps somewhat surprisingly, the top terms on Black Friday weren’t shopping related. Instead, Christmas tree farm and festival top the list.
