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Christmas travel 2021: Best, worst times to hit the road

By Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk
By Kelli Dugan, Cox Media Group National Content Desk

With more than 109 million Americans expected to travel for the 11-day Christmas holiday, delays will be an unavoidable part of the 2021 experience, according to AAA.

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With an estimated 34% more travelers taking to the roads and skies for the 2021 holiday than in 2020, this means paying particular attention to routes and thoroughfares prone to bottlenecks when work-week traffic collides with mad-dash travelers bypassing the river and the woods for the interstate and the freeway.

>> Related: 109M Americans expected to travel this Christmas, AAA says

According to transportation analytics firm INRIX, major metropolitan areas could encounter delays that more than double typical drive times, while New York City drivers should plan to spend three times as much time in the car.

“With kids out of school and many Americans taking extended time off for the holidays, drivers will experience incremental delays throughout the week. Although congestion will be overall lighter than normal, knowing when and where major delays will likely happen will help save time and reduce stress this holiday season,” Bob Pishue, a transportation analyst at INRIX, said in a prepared statement.

In turn, INRX offered the following snapshot to help travelers better plan:

Worst Corridors and Times to Travel:

Metro AreaCorridorPeak Congestion% Above Normal
AtlantaI-85 South, Clairmont Road to MLK Drive3:45 p.m.–5:45 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2198%
BostonI-93 North, Quincy Market to Massachusetts Highway 281:45 p.m.- 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23155%
ChicagoI-290 West, Morgan Street to Wolfe Road3:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23240%
DetroitI-96 West, 6 Mile Road to Walled Lake9:45 a.m.–11:45 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 23209%
HoustonI-10 West, Sjolander Road to Texas Highway 3305 p.m.-7 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2195%
Los AngelesI-5 South, Colorado Street to Florence Avenue5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 2194%
New YorkI-495 East, Borden Avenue to Little Neck Parkway4:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. Monday, Dec. 27358%
San FranciscoI-80 East, I-580 to San Pablo Dam Road5:30 p.m.-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 23166%
SeattleI-5 South, Washington Highway 18 to Washington Highway 74:45 p.m.–6:45 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 28215%
Washington, D.C.I-95 South, I-395 to Virginia Highway 1239:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. Monday, Dec. 27270%

Source: INRX

Meanwhile, what time travelers strike out can make almost as much difference in their travel time as the routes they choose. According to INRIX, the following are the projected best and worst times to hit the road:

Daily Worst and Best Times to Travel:

DayWorst TimeBest Time
Thursday, Dec. 23noon-6 p.m.After 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 24 - CHRISTMAS EVE2 p.m.-6 p.m.Before 1 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 25 - CHRISTMASminimal congestion expectedminimal congestion expected
Sunday, Dec. 261 p.m.-7 p.m.Before noon
Monday, Dec. 275 p.m.-6 p.m.Before 1 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 281 p.m.-7 p.m.Before noon
Wednesday, Dec. 291 p.m.-7 p.m.Before 11 a.m.
Thursday, Dec. 301 p.m.-7 p.m.Before noon
Friday, Dec. 31 - NEW YEAR’S EVE2 p.m.-4 p.m.Before 1 p.m., after 5 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 1 - NEW YEAR’S DAYminimal congestion expectedminimal congestion expected
Sunday, Jan. 22 p.m.-6 p.m.Before 1 p.m.

Source: INRX

According to INRX, the following domestic destinations top the 2021 holiday list:

  • Orlando, Florida
  • Anaheim, California
  • Las Vegas
  • New York; Kahului, Maui, Hawaii (tie)
  • Honolulu
  • Miami
  • Fort Lauderdale, Florida
  • Tampa, Florida
  • Phoenix
  • San Diego



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