Stats: 18% Would Rather Skip Thanksgiving Than Drive

Thanksgiving travel can be stressful – so much so that a significant portion of Americans would rather skip the holiday altogether than drive to their destination, according to a new survey by Esurance. The company surveyed 1,000 Americans on their thoughts regarding Thanksgiving travel. 

In the survey, 18 percent of respondents said that they would rather skip Thanksgiving than have to drive for it. Even more – 25 percent – said that they would rather cook the full Thanksgiving meal themselves rather than drive for the holiday. Twenty-one percent said that they would rather pay for a flight instead of driving, while 8 percent would opt to give up their favorite Thanksgiving dish. One in 10 respondents even said that they would rather wait in line at the DMV than drive. While “I would rather drive on Thanksgiving” was the most popular response, only 26 percent of respondents chose it. 

Overall, over half – 52 percent – of respondents said that they think Thanksgiving travel is at least “slightly stressful.” Breaking the respondents down by age range, 49 percent of those aged 18 – 34 said that they find Thanksgiving travel stressful, as compared to 53 percent of those aged 35 – 54 and 55 percent of those 55 years old or older. 

Last year, 54 million people drove over 50 miles on Thanksgiving day. 

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