Expect delays: 37 million plan holiday travel

Consider these journeys: Dallas to Santa Fe, N.M.; Salt Lake City to Las Vegas; and Daytona Beach, Fla., to Washington, D.C. — in a car. These are the kinds of road trips some Americans are gearing up for as Thanksgiving approaches.

Even with gasoline prices almost a third higher than a year ago, 30.6 million people, or 3 percent more than in 2003, are expected to hit the road for a turkey dinner before the week is up. Another 6.6 million are likely to travel by plane, train or bus, adding up to what will be the busiest Thanksgiving for the transportation sector since 2000, according to a telephone survey conducted for AAA by the Travel Industry Association of America.

Thanksgiving is traditionally the peak business period for the airline industry, but passenger traffic fell sharply after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, accounting for the overall decline in holiday travel in 2001 and 2002. Auto traffic fell slightly in 2002 but, along with air traffic, has risen steadily since then.

Guillermo Font will drive his Lincoln LS 1,600 miles from Debary, Fla., near Daytona Beach, to the nation's capital and back, to spend the holiday with his daughter.

"I like to drive," said Font, a 71-year-old architect, who likes to "fool around" with his GPS system while listening to Latin ballads and classical music on the road. He figures on spending $300 round trip for gasoline (premium), food and an overnight stay in Lumberton, N.C.

Paula Silsby of Portland, Maine, said as long as there isn't a snowstorm, she looks forward to the annual three-hour pilgrimage north to her parents' home in Ellsworth. The 53-year-old Justice Department lawyer said she finds comfort in the ritual.

"There's usually very little traffic," said Silsby. "I take my mug of tea and a bottle of water. It's a very Zen thing going home for Thanksgiving."

Not everybody has such a calm attitude.

Suzy Eisinger, a health care consultant from Dallas who is flying to Fairfax, Va., said she is dreading the crowded airports and jammed security checkpoints. But she's doing what she can to minimize the stress.

"I'm going to get there early, I'll probably check in online to speed things up, and I'm getting dropped off at the airport so I don't have to deal with parking," Eisinger said.