LUZERNE COUNTY -- Nearly 49 million Americans are expected to travel this Thanksgiving, according to AAA. Most of them will be driving to their destinations.
Traffic on Interstate 81 was flowing smoothly Wednesday morning but there are a lot of vehicles out on the road.
Officials with AAA say this Thanksgiving could be the most traveled ever. One reason is the economy. It's been improving and people have more cash in their pockets to spend.
Travel experts say another reason for the spike in travel is gas prices. Right now, they are at the second cheapest rate in a decade. The national average is about $2.16 a gallon.
"I'm driving a hybrid so I do part of the trip on electricity and partly on gas. I wouldn't let the price stop me," said Gloria Thompson of Vestal, New York.
Teresa Erickson of Connecticut says her 12-hour commute to Virginia was going fine until she hit our area.
"It's great up until Scranton Wilkes-Barre, pretty heavy there, up until then it was good."
That's why there are rest stops, like the one near Nuangola. Edward and Shirley Amlott of upstate New York are heading to sunny Florida.
"This is great! We needed it," Edward said.
"I need to stretch my legs, yeah! "added Shirley.
But many travelers insist being with family for the holidays is priceless.
"The time you spend together is important," said Helen Moore of Maine. "I picked up my friend in Connecticut and now we're going to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with her."
Be sure to check out travel conditions on the WNEP Traffic Tracker and the WNEP Flight Tracker.