MILWAUKEE — Planes, trains and automobiles are all in motion as millions of Americans embark on Wednesday on their journeys home for Thanksgiving.
In Milwaukee, travelers crammed into airports and train stations, bracing for what experts predicted to be one of the busiest travel seasons on record. Nearly 1.6 million Wisconsinites are expected to travel for Thanksgiving this year, which is 2.3% more than last year, according to the American Automobile Association.
Here's how Wisconsinites are expecting to travel this year:
- Car: 1,403,959 — up nearly 2% from 2023
- Air: 132,999 — up 2% from 2023
- Other: 45,588 — up 9% from 2023
At the Amtrak station in Milwaukee, college student Jayden Dias was one of many who took the train home to Chicago to spend time with family.
Dias said he wasn’t too concerned about the long lines or travel time.
“I woke up like an hour ago,” Dias said.
He booked his ticket a couple days in advance to make sure he got a spot. It was a good move since many trains were fully booked Wednesday.
“I mean, it’s Thanksgiving and it’s Chicago, so I am not surprised,” he said.
Amtrak spokesperson Marc Magliari said Wednesday is one of its busiest travel days of the year. He said the Sunday after Thanksgiving is even more packed.
“I just stopped off at a full sold-out Borealis train, our new service between Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul, not a seat to be had,” Magliari said.
Over at Milwaukee Mitchell Internation Airport, Tyler Becker and his family headed to Texas for the holiday. He said they planned for it to be busy, but it wasn’t as crowded as expected.
“Every year is the busiest travel year, so it’s nothing new to us,” Becker said. “We are going to fight the crowds, but it looks pretty slow right now.”