AAA forecasts that 42.5 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a 5 percent increase from the 40.9 million people who traveled one year ago.

The Thanksgiving holiday travel period is defined as Wednesday to Sunday.

The holiday weekend is the first significant increase in any holiday travel this year. Memorial Day travel was statistically flat while Independence Day and Labor Day travel experienced decreases of 2.5 percent and 2.4 percent, respectively.

Driving the increase in Thanksgiving holiday weekend travel is pent-up travel demand from Americans who have chosen not to travel during this holiday the past few years.

In 2007, there were 50.6 million Thanksgiving holiday weekend travelers. Once the recession began, it dropped to 37.8 in 2008, 37.9 in 2009 and then began coming back last year with 40.9 million travelers. Those Americans who haven’t traveled to see family and friends in the past few years are starting to travel again.

Automobile travel and gas prices up

Approximately 38.2 million people (90 percent of holiday travelers) plan to take to the nation’s roadways this Thanksgiving holiday weekend, also a four percent increase compared to Thanksgiving 2010 when auto travelers totaled 36.8 million.

Automobile travel remains the preferred choice of transportation for holiday travelers as it is often more affordable, convenient and flexible.

The average price of regular unleaded gasoline in Washington is $3.74 per gallon, 63 cents higher than one year ago. In Idaho, the average price of gas is $3.51 per gallon, 56 cents higher compared to last year. Nationally, the average price for regular unleaded is up 51 cents to $3.40 per gallon.

Air travel expected to increase slightly

Almost 3.4 million leisure travelers (8 percent of holiday travelers) will fly during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend, a 1.8-percent increase from 2010. Fuel costs, combined with steady air travel demand and capacity cuts have resulted in rising airfares during the past year.

Thanksgiving airfares are expected to be 20-percent higher than last year, with an average lowest round-trip rate of $212 for the top 40 U.S. air routes. Other modes of travel (bus, trains, watercraft, multi-modal travel) will make up the remaining 2 percent of the total person-trips, with more than 900,000 people expected to travel by these modes, 14.7 percent higher than in 2010.

Travelers stay closer to home

According to a survey of traveler intentions, the average distance traveled by Americans during the Thanksgiving holiday is expected to be 706 miles, which is a decline of 13.5 percent from last year when travelers planned to log an average of 816 miles. Median spending is expected to be $554, which is a 12 percent increase from $495 last year.

AAA’s projections are based on economic forecasting and research by IHS Global Insight. The Boston-based economic research and consulting firm teamed with AAA in 2009 to jointly analyze travel trends during the major holidays. AAA has been reporting on holiday travel trends for more than two decades.

For more information, visit www.AAA.com, or call 1-800-562-2582.