Google: Best, Worst Thanksgiving Travel Times in Maryland

Are you travelling this Thanksgiving? Google has determined the best and worst times to travel on Maryland’s roads for the holiday and shared the information on their Mapping Thanksgiving web page.

The internet search services giant has mapped out traffic and search trends for major cities, including the Baltimore/Washington D.C. region.

It will come as no surprise, the best time to leave our area for a Thanksgiving road trip is the middle of the night. Make sure you pack the car Tuesday evening, so you can get an early start by 3 a.m. Wednesday, Nov. 22. Delay your start just 12 hours to 3 p.m. and Google says you will encounter the most congested roads of the holiday in our area.

The best time to travel after Thanksgiving is earlier than sunrise, so make sure your lights are in good working order. Leave by 4 a.m. Friday, Nov. 24 to avoid the worst traffic. The worst time to hit Maryland roads after Thanksgiving is 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 25.

According to Google, the rest of the country follows similar trends. Late Wednesday afternoon will be the busiest time on the road, while Thanksgiving morning will see the lightest traffic. If you can’t do Saturday morning, early Sunday may be your next best bet. It would be best to avoid both Friday and Saturday afternoons though.

Google also takes a look at what people are searching for online during the Thanksgiving Holiday. All year long, the most popular  location search is a department store, so Google focused on locations that are searched more than normal during this time of year. The online location searches that spike around Thanksgiving are ham shops, outlet malls, tree farms, natural features and electronics stores.

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