Marin travelers brave bustling transit hubs for Thanksgiving week
Mariam Rubino of Fairfax won’t be eating turkey and mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving. Instead, she’ll be having asado and papas fritas in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
“Using this is easy enough,” Rubino said Tuesday morning, gesturing to the idling Marin Airporter bus in San Rafael. “And hopefully it’s early enough before the big day that the crowds won’t be so bad at the airport.”
According to AAA, a record 7.49 million Californians are expected to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday – a 3% increase over last year.
“We really started seeing robust travel numbers last year,” said John Treanor, a AAA spokesperson. “People were driving in droves with their planned trips, regardless of gas prices or inflation.”
Nationwide, 55.4 million people are expected to travel over the upcoming holiday weekend. It is considered the third-largest Thanksgiving travel volume since 2001. Last year had about 54 million travelers. The numbers are still slightly below pre-pandemic levels, which saw about 56 million in 2019.
An estimated 88% of travelers – 49 million Americans – are expected to drive. More than 4.7 million will fly — a 6.6% increase over 2022.
“Now we have an easing of prices and we’re far enough from the pandemic that people feel more comfortable traveling,” Treanor said.
Marin gas prices on average were $5.06 on Tuesday, according to AAA. A year ago, the average was $5.25. Statewide, the average gas price is $4.96.
“Travel demand has truly bounced back to pre-pandemic levels,” said Brian Ng, a vice president at AAA Northern California. “Our holiday travel projections show the year-long trend of Californians’ eagerness to get away and create memories with family and friends.”
Treanor said that drivers in the Bay Area should be most wary of traffic on Wednesday afternoon. He said traffic on northbound Highway 101 would peak at about 2 p.m. Southbound Highway 17 to Santa Cruz and Monterey also is expected to be busiest around the same time on Wednesday.
“We recommend planning for these long trips,” Treanor said.
Laura Nicoletti of Fairfax, another traveler at the Marin Airporter base in San Rafael, said she was flying to Denver to see family for the first time in five years.
“I am looking forward to having a beautiful Thanksgiving and reacquainting myself with friends and family I know there,” she said.
Joined by his 14-year-old twin sons, Ethan Maniscone said he was flying to Kansas to stay with his brother-in-law instead of receiving family at home in San Rafael.
“I don’t like travel. Especially during the holidays. I try and stay local,” Maniscone said. “But it’s better with family.”
His extended family from Laos and Thailand would prepare some of the traditional Thanksgiving fare, he added, but most of them preferred dishes common to their ethnic background.
“We’ll throw a turkey in the mix there, but most people are going to ignore it,” he said.
Their Uber driver, Henry Sastoque, said he was from San Jose and had driven a few times from Marin to the airport.
“Thanksgiving can be slow,” he said. “But everyone is very nice.”
Other travelers said they really just wanted to get out of town.
San Rafael residents Julie Butler and her partner Jenny Nishimura were bound for Puerto Vallarta in Mexico.
“It’s not about the turkey for us,” Nishimura said. “We had a Friendsgiving here at home. But it’s just about being with each other.”
Others said Marin is not their home, just a stop along their journey.
Sharon Cureton of Fort Worth, Texas, said she was flying home in order to make it back before the Thanksgiving holiday.
“The bus was very easy and it was on time,” she said.
Karen Ellis Phillips of New Jersey said she was in town for an event with her grandchildren.
“The traveling went just fine,” she said. “I’ll be back for Thanksgiving.”