Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and if your plans involve traveling, Google has a few tips for how to make that travel a bit more pleasant. As it does every year, the company released some insights this week on what will likely be the best and worst times to travel on the holiday, based on Google Maps data from last year.
By and large, Google says that the absolute worst time to hit the road is going to be between 3-4pm the day before Thanksgiving. If you can wait to kick off that road trip in the morning, roads will clear up significantly around 6am.
When it comes time to head home, Google recommends leaving in the morning on Friday or Saturday in order to avoid the afternoon rush.
In a less-than-shocking revelation, Google also recommends avoiding places like the grocery store, bakeries, and liquor stores the day before Thanksgiving.
For general information on Thanksgiving travel, Google created this chart showing when the best and worst times are to travel for a number of major cities.
This year it also has an interactive site where you can get more specific travel information for a number of major cities, which is definitely worth a look as you’re planning out that family road trip.