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Being one of the largest data providers gives Google an advantage–they get a lot of data in return.
Google used its Google Maps product to determine which days and times seemed to have the worst traffic during Thanksgiving week. Â They also analyzed what types of activities people do when traveling for Thanksgiving, given search terms.
From their analysis:
- Worst day to travel: For most cities, the Wednesday before Thanksgiving is the worst traffic day — with the exceptions of Boston(Tuesday), Honolulu (Saturday), Providence (Saturday), and San Francisco (Saturday).
- Skip the rush: The worst time for Thanksgiving traffic falls between 3:00pm and 5:00pm the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. Better to leave before 2:00pm or after 7:00pm on Wednesday if you want to beat the rush.
- Second worst traffic day: Saturday and Tuesday vie for the second and third heaviest traffic days — Black Friday doesn’t draw huge road traffic.
- Thanksgiving Day traffic: Thanksgiving Day traffic is a breeze — it usually has the least traffic of the entire week; for those looking to beat even the lightest traffic day, make sure you stay off the road between 12:00pm and 2:00pm on Thanksgiving Day.
- When to drive back home: Traffic patterns show that you’re better off driving home from the holiday weekend on Sunday rather than Saturday — traffic can be up to 40% worse on Saturday.
- Changes in holiday traffic: In six cities, Thanksgiving traffic has actually decreased slightly between 2012 and 2013 (Boston,Dallas, Honolulu, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, and Providence).
People also tend to visit aquariums or museums when traveling. Â They also search for liquor stores (to help deal with their relatives?)
