Getting a giant vacation meal on the desk may be demanding for the cook dinner (see “The Bear,” Season two, Episode six.) But for friends, simply attending to the desk additionally may be troublesome, and there’s no Butterball hotline for harried travelers.

The variety of folks touring 50 miles or extra from dwelling for Thanksgiving is anticipated to succeed in 55.4 million this week, a slight improve over final yr, in keeping with AAA projections.

And whereas distress loves firm, there are some steps travelers can take to enhance the expertise:

EARLY BIRDS GET THE OPEN ROADS

Most travelers — greater than 49 million — are anticipated to drive to their Thanksgiving locations. Traffic is anticipated to peak on Wednesday, the day earlier than the vacation. The worst time to be on the street will probably be between 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. that day, in keeping with INRIX, a transportation knowledge and insights supplier.

Not solely will visitors jams gradual you down, they may end up in crashes attributable to distracted drivers, stated Megan Jones, senior actuary at Arity, one other firm that analyzes mobility knowledge.

“When traffic is moving at a more steady pace and you don’t have as much of that stop and go, folks are less inclined to pick up their phones,” she stated.

However, dashing additionally will increase across the vacation, she stated, with the best charge of high-speed driving of extra 80 mph on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Drivers ought to be considerate about their very own conduct and alert to these round them, Jones stated.

“It’s something to be cognizant of as you’re coming home. There are others on the road, and those high speeds do present a higher risk of accidents, and more costly accidents when they occur,” she stated.

One of the very best components of Thanksgiving is having fun with the leftovers for days after, however meals poisoning can put a critical damper in your lengthy weekend.

TAKE IT EASY, NOT QUEASY

Road journeys with youngsters pose extra challenges, together with breaking apart backseat fights and retaining carsickness at bay.

While these touring on Thanksgiving Day could be tempted to carry off on meals or snacks given they are headed to a feast, that could possibly be a foul transfer, stated Dr. Mona Amin, a pediatrician and parenting coach.

“An empty stomach can make symptoms of nausea worse, so make sure anybody prone to carsickness has a satiated belly and is hydrated,” she stated.

Additional tips embody avoiding display screen time, opening the home windows for contemporary air and having the kid take a look at the horizon.

“Sometimes, messes may happen,” she stated. “Stay calm in your voice and tone and reassure them.”

Walmart introduced that it’ll shut its doorways on Thanksgiving Day, becoming a member of different main retailers together with Target, Home Depot and Costco.

DEEP BREATHS, NOT BIG GULPS

About 4.7 million folks are anticipated to fly throughout the Thanksgiving journey interval, in keeping with AAA. That’s a rise of 6.6% in comparison with 2022 and the very best quantity since 2005. When it involves air journey, Sheryl Skaggs, a sociology professor on the University of Texas at Dallas, stated slightly empathy goes a good distance.

“Go in with the mindset that the planes are likely to be incredibly crowded,” she stated. “Seasoned fliers are more attuned to that and prepared for that, but you have so many other people that aren’t necessarily regular fliers that are going to be traveling over the Thanksgiving holiday.”

She urged travelers to be tolerant and understanding, slightly than taking situation with crying infants or selecting a struggle over reclining seats.

“This isn’t particularly comfortable for anyone,” she stated. “But if you show respect to other people, that can also have a chain reaction.”

Skaggs co-authored a research printed earlier this yr exploring almost 1,000 incidents of passenger misconduct on airplanes over a 20-year interval. Consumption of alcohol was a major contributor to misconduct, which the research outlined as conduct that was abusive or unruly, antagonized others or compromised the security of flights.

Oftentimes, the consuming begins properly earlier than passengers board the airplane, Skaggs stated.

“Don’t be afraid to say something to flight attendants if you think that something’s not right or that you see something potentially escalating,” she stated.

Dench unintentionally invited a stranger to her Thanksgiving dinner in 2016, and now the pair are on the point of spend their eighth vacation collectively.

THE EMOTIONAL JOURNEY

Thanksgiving journey additionally may be an emotional journey relying on the place travelers are headed.

Holidays may be troublesome for a wide range of causes, together with sophisticated household dynamics, unrealistic expectations and disruption of routine, stated Dr. Laura Erickson-Schroth, chief medical officer at The Jed Foundation, a nonprofit centered on suicide prevention.

“There can be a lot of anticipatory anxiety about the holidays, thinking about what’s happened in the previous years or wondering about how things are going to go,” she stated.

To ease that anxiousness, she beneficial spending some journey time centered on psychological well being and making ready for what’s to return.

“If you’re going to be around family members you typically have conflicts with, my advice is to decide in advance how you want to interact with them. Things get a lot harder once you’re in the situation — old patterns can come out quickly,” she stated. “So think ahead of time about what’s going to make you feel the best.”