More than 3 million in Mountain West expected to travel for Thanksgiving

SALT LAKE CITY — If weather doesn't cause enough of a problem on the roads and in the skies during an already busy holiday weekend, a significant increase in the number of travelers might.

Constrained financial situations for many families in the Mountain States region isn't dampening the desire to travel, according to AAA, which released predictions for the upcoming holiday. The agency believes more than three million residents in the Mountain West plan to travel 50 miles or more this extended, four-day Thanksgiving holiday weekend. This represents an overall increase of 10.7 percent compared to last year.

"Analysts believe the economy in these states is inching its way along to recovery so residents are slightly better off financially than they were a year ago," said AAA Utah spokesperson Rolayne Fairclough. "This improvement, added to the strong desire to spend time with family and friends, is expected to propel a significant increase in Thanksgiving travel."

More than 95 percent of those traveling will do so by van, car, truck or RV, as road travel remains the most prevalent mode. Just over 100,000 holiday travelers are forecasted to fly, which is an increase of three percent compared to last year.

Chirstie Brady, who is headed from Provo to Nevada to be with family this weekend, said it is just "too expensive" to fly all the time. She and her husband trade off visiting their families for the major holidays, but driving to Colorado Springs, she said, is just too terrible this time of year.

"If you've ever been through a snowstorm in the Rockies, you'll never do it again," Brady said.

They'll be driving right through bad weather this week, so it's lucky that her husband is "always prepared," she said, adding that he pays attention and obeys all the warnings and weather advisories.

When the weather is bad enough, the Bradys won't make the trip, but she says the time with her family is worth the drive any day.

Heading into the weekend, temperatures will start to drop while snow storms will ease up mid-week, according to the National Weather Service. The Utah Department of Transportation advises travelers to alter their routes to avoid the heaviest travel days, which are Wednesday and Sunday.

According to UDOT's winter driving tips, "the safest place to be in a storm is behind a snow plow." They advise not passing snow plows unless necessary and not parking on the road's shoulders.

And although the weather conditions might make road travel questionable, about 100,000 people are forecasted to fly, which is a 3 percent increase from last year, according to AAA.

The agency also reports that airfare is up about 4 percent compared to last year, with the lowest round-trip average rate projected to be around $176 for the top 40 U.S. routes.

Nationally, more than 42 million people will travel 50 miles or more over the upcoming holiday weekend, and that has to be for more than the turkey.

"I love my family so I'll get out there every chance I get," Brady said.

e-mail: wleonard@desnews.com