Thanksgiving week is unlike most other more predictable weeks. For starters, there’s less work because you get two much needed days off, and then there’s also a lot of traffic due to a myriad of reasons: people need to do their last minute shopping, they have to buy groceries for their family dinners, they want to go out for a drink, and/or they’re on their way to a trip.
Whether you’re meeting up with friends, family, taking a road trip or watching a parade, odds are you’ll spend a good amount of time in your car.
Google Maps has got your back, designing a website that tells you everything you need to know come Thanksgiving week. ‘Mapping Thanksgiving’ highlights the most popular spots in your city, letting you know which areas will be good places to hang out at, and other areas that you should avoid. Check out some of the most helpful findings.
How to avoid traffic
Even if you’re a veteran commuter Thanksgiving tends to throw a lot of things out of balance, including your treasured route to work.
Related: Here Are 5 Things You Can Bring To A Thanksgiving Party
Traffic varies depending on the state where you live, but most states have in common a few things: the highest amount of traffic occurs the night before Thanksgiving, where people are leaving town. Thursday is always a slow traffic day, with Friday returning to a more normal and predictable pattern. Sundays are also days where there’s high amounts of traffic, since people will be returning home from their trips.
If you need even more specificity, Google allows you to enter your city, suggesting the best time for you to leave before Thanksgiving and the best time for you to return home.
Popular visit spots
The Google graph shows the most popular spots on Thanksgiving week. Bakeries are packed on Wednesdays, especially during noon. So are grocery stores, showing large amounts of traffic until late night. Shopping centers are also popular on Wednesday and Fridays. Movie theaters get a large amount of visits on Black Friday, especially for the last show of the day.
Related: 5 Uncommon Thanksgiving Traditions To Try This Year
You can check out more information on the Google trends link.
