AAA New York: More Than 46 Million Will Travel To Celebrate Thanksgiving

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) - Hitting the roads for the holiday getaway? You're not alone - far from it.

AAA predicts 46.3 million Americans will be traveling 50 miles or more during Thanksgiving weekend. Roughly 90 percent - 41.3 million - of those travelers will be taking to the roads for their getaway.

It's the highest travel prediction for the holiday since 2007, and a 4.2 percent increase over last year, when 44.4 million Americans traveled.

Despite the higher volume expected on the road, there's some good news for travelers. Gas prices are at their lowest average price in four years, AAA said. The national average price for a gallon is $2.88, 40 cents lower than a year ago.

Drivers in New York City pay a higher average - about $3.31 for a gallon a regular, but that's still a 30 cent drop from last year, AAA said.

"Holiday joy has come early this year with Americans paying the lowest gas prices since 2010," AAA New York's Robert Sinclair said. "Lower prices are increasing disposable income with an expected $36 billion in savings on gasoline in the fourth quarter this year, enabling families to carve out more money from household budgets for travel this Thanksgiving."

While most will be driving, air travel is also expected to be at the highest level since 2007, with 3.55 million people expected to fly, AAA said.

For some driving, pet safety and general holiday travel tips from AAA, click here.

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