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Thanksgiving travel bounces back to pre-pandemic levels in Wisconsin

Posted at 9:17 PM, Nov 23, 2022
and last updated 2022-11-23 22:17:08-05

OSHKOSH — Thanksgiving travel looks to be back on track in northeast Wisconsin this year and concerns about high inflation seem to have done little to dampen people’s holiday plans, as millions get set to hit the road nationwide.

“Nationally, 54.6 million people are traveling this Thanksgiving holiday," said Molly Hart, spokesperson for AAA's The Auto Club Group.

"Here in Wisconsin, [there are going to] be 1.1 million people traveling, and of that, 1 million are getting on the road.”

Hart said those numbers reflect an increase in travel from the numbers seen before the pandemic.

“Here in Wisconsin, we are surpassing what the pre-pandemic numbers were. People are excited to go and celebrate Thanksgiving with their family and loved ones," she said.

Among those making the long trek to see loved ones this weekend is Matt Holtz, who drove in from Omaha to see his mother Carey and extended family.

“I live here, so they came to visit us and then we’re going to go to both my side of the family and my husband’s for Thursday and Friday,” Carey explained.

For Matt, things may cost a bit more this Thanksgiving, but the trip is still worth it.

“The overall cost, I mean, it’s like…maybe 20 bucks more, 30 bucks more or something," he said.

"[But] you can’t put a price on family."