AAA offers best times to travel this holiday season

CHARLOTTE — AAA is forecasting one of the busiest holiday travel seasons on record. This means there will be even more people on the roads and in the skies this year.

If you are visiting family or shopping this holiday week, Channel 9′s Mark Taylor has Google trends you can use to beat the crowds and avoid traffic.

By using cell phone data location history from previous years, Google said it has determined the best and worst times to hit the roads.

You are given the green light if you are heading out Monday or Tuesday morning; however, if you wait much longer, you will likely get stuck in traffic.

Google Trend Expert Marley McAliley said she recommends you avoid the road between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. to help dodge the traffic, the crowds, and the long lines.

“You’ll definitely want to avoid Tuesday or Wednesday around 4 p.m. and 5 p.m. That’s typically the peak time people are traveling for the holidays,” McAliley explained. “And if you’re traveling on Thanksgiving, the busiest times are between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.

If you are looking for the cheapest last-minute Thanksgiving or Christmas flights, McAliley has advice for that too.

“You can get the lowest flight prices on Google Flights by using Google price insights. So, whenever you are looking at a current flight price, you’ll see how it compares to historical averages. So you can see whether it’s higher or lower than usual. You’ll also be able to see recommendations on when the cheapest time to book that flight is,” McAliley said.

If you decide to book that flight, Google offers a price guarantee in which they’ll pay you the difference if the price drops before your trip.

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