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More Americans are hitting the road, the water, and the skies this Thanksgiving to visit family and take vacations. Last year, about 82 million Americans traveled over the holiday, with 6 million flying domestically, according to AAA. Including international routes, more than 31 million passengers traveled during the broader 11-day holiday window in 2025.
To get the most out of Thanksgiving travel, here are several key tips.
Key Takeaways
- Thanksgiving is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, making early planning essential.
- Flexible travel dates and alternative airports can help travelers save on holiday airfare.
- Understanding travel insurance policy terms before departure can help avoid unexpected out-of-pocket expenses.
Book Early
If you haven’t booked your flight yet, do so. Airfares keep climbing because of rising fuel and labor costs, more passengers than seats this past summer, and the loss of low-cost carrier Spirit Airlines. According to Hopper’s 2026 Holiday Travel Index, domestic round-trip Thanksgiving flights are up an average of 31% from last year.
The most popular Thanksgiving destinations in the United States are major cities, including Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa, Miami, and Los Angeles. For international travelers, major cities like Tokyo, London, and Paris are top of mind.
Be Flexible with Your Dates
Domestic airfares can vary by hundreds of dollars depending on the day of travel. For Thanksgiving, Monday, November 23, tends to offer lower fares, while the weekends before and after the holiday are typically the most expensive times to fly. Thanksgiving Day itself consistently sees the lightest passenger traffic, about half the volume recorded on peak travel days, such as the Sunday after Thanksgiving, when passenger counts exceed 3.1 million (2025 stats). However, if you have delays or a flight cancellation on Thanksgiving Day, you risk missing dinner or your celebration, and holiday rebooking options can be limited.
Consider flying into another nearby airport but factor in transportation costs before choosing an airport that’s significantly farther from your destination. Also, compare multiple airlines instead of automatically booking your usual carrier.
Account for Delays, Disruptions Due to Weather
Although it’s still too early to know for sure what the weather will be like during the Thanksgiving holiday, a winter storm can disrupt your plans. For example, during Thanksgiving weekend in 2025, a major winter storm disrupted air travel across the country, resulting in more than 12,000 flight delays and more than 1,000 cancellations on the Sunday after Thanksgiving alone.
Check the weather forecast at your departure airport, destination, and any connecting cities in the days leading up to your trip. Consider booking nonstop flights when possible, choosing early-morning departures to reduce the risk of cascading delays, and allowing extra time for connections. Monitor airline alerts for schedule changes and have a backup plan if your flight is delayed or canceled.
Protect Your Thanksgiving Travel Plans with Insurance
Even with careful planning, Thanksgiving travel doesn’t always go as expected. A canceled flight, unexpected illness, or other disruption can leave you with additional expenses or money lost on prepaid, nonrefundable reservations. Travel insurance can help protect your investment and cover certain unexpected costs.
Depending on the policy, travel insurance provides several important benefits:
- Trip Cancellation: If you must cancel your Thanksgiving trip for a covered reason, such as an unexpected illness or qualifying severe weather event, you may be reimbursed for prepaid, nonrefundable expenses, including airfare, hotel accommodations, and tours. Coverage depends on the circumstances and policy terms.
- Trip Interruption: If you need to cut your trip short because of a covered event, insurance can help reimburse unused, nonrefundable travel arrangements and eligible additional transportation costs to return home.
- Travel Delay: If a covered delay leaves you stranded overnight or waiting hours for another flight, this benefit can help pay for meals, hotel accommodations, and local transportation, subject to the policy’s waiting period and limits.
- Missed Connection: A delayed flight could cause you to miss a connecting departure. Certain plans provide reimbursement for eligible expenses to catch up with your itinerary when a covered delay causes a missed connection.
- Baggage Loss or Delay: If your luggage doesn’t arrive when you do, coverage may help pay for essential replacement items. Benefits may also apply if your baggage is lost, stolen, or damaged during your trip.
- Emergency Medical Expenses: If you become sick or injured while traveling, particularly overseas, travel medical coverage can help pay for eligible emergency treatment. Some plans also include emergency medical evacuation benefits.
What If Your Thanksgiving Plans Change?
Not every cancellation involves an illness or severe weather. Perhaps the family gathering you’re attending is canceled, your schedule changes, or you simply decide to stay home. These situations generally aren’t covered under standard Trip Cancellation benefits.
For added flexibility, consider Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) coverage. Available as an optional upgrade on certain plans, CFAR allows you to cancel for reasons not otherwise covered and receive partial reimbursement of eligible prepaid, nonrefundable trip costs. The benefit typically must be purchased within a specified period after your initial trip deposit, and you must cancel within the timeframe required by the policy.
Find the Right Travel Insurance for Thanksgiving
Before purchasing travel insurance, review the policy’s covered reasons, exclusions, reimbursement limits, and claim-filing requirements. For example, weather-related benefits may require a specific length of delay or a qualifying interruption of travel services. It’s also important to purchase coverage before a storm or other disruption becomes a known event.
TravelInsurance.com makes it easy to compare travel insurance plans from multiple top-rated providers, with coverage options and prices displayed side by side. You can review benefits, select a plan that fits your Thanksgiving travel needs and budget, and purchase coverage online.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Does travel insurance cover Thanksgiving road trips and rental cars?
A. Yes. Depending on the policy, travel insurance can cover prepaid, nonrefundable hotel stays, vacation rentals, and other eligible expenses, even if you’re driving rather than flying. Some plans also offer optional rental car damage coverage for incidents such as collisions, theft, or vandalism.
Q. Can I purchase travel insurance if I’ve already booked my Thanksgiving trip?
A. Yes. You can generally purchase travel insurance after booking your trip, although certain benefits may only be available if you purchase coverage within a specified period after your initial trip deposit.
Q. Does travel insurance cover holiday gifts packed in my luggage?
A. Some travel insurance policies may cover gifts that are lost, stolen, or damaged during a trip. However, baggage coverage typically has exclusions and limits for certain valuables, electronics, and other items. Review your policy before traveling with expensive gifts.
NOTE: The insuring agreement in a policy sets out the covered perils, assumed risks, and nature of coverage that the insurance company provides to its insured in exchange for the premiums paid. Thus, the terms and conditions of the policy will dictate whether coverage exists and the nature of any potential benefits.
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