Google Maps Shows Holiday Traffic Congestion

Google is revealing new findings from its Maps on how to dodge the worst of the Thanksgiving travel gridlock for drivers and shoppers.

By studying anonymized, aggregated location and directions data, the company was able to pinpoint when roads get clogged, which days stores are busiest, and how to plan your errands so you spend more time celebrating and less time waiting in line. The guidance comes as travel volumes soar across the country, with AAA forecasting more than 55 million Thanksgiving travelers and momentum into the end-of-year holidays.

How Holiday Traffic Gets Sustained (And When It Hits Maximum Flow)

According to Google Maps data, congestion has spiked this Thanksgiving Eve at a rate about 14 percent higher than on typical midweek days. The squeeze intensifies from late morning into midafternoon, when last-minute departures run up against early office closings and airport voyages.

Thanksgiving Day can even see midday errand runs and family outings moving at a shuffling pace. The roads gradually become empty in the evening but tend to fill up again as weekenders return from their outings. Google’s search trends reveal the busiest return traffic coagulating from 1 to 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday, so head out at either end of the day, and you will shave valuable hours off your drive.

Those patterns mirror larger travel data from transportation agencies and AAA: demand is extremely peaked, not staggered. The playbook is simple, if successful: leave outside midday windows, build in flex time for airport and station drop-offs, and have live traffic layers handy to reroute if things go south.

The Tuesday Holiday Errands Advantage for Shoppers

Maps’ “busyness” metrics — those live charts you see on place listings — offer a second edge: timing your shopping. Today, nationwide, retailers are quietest on Tuesday afternoons and busiest on Saturday afternoons. That Tuesday dip is because many of you are doing your returns and to-dos on Mondays, which creates a hangover feel the next day.

If you can’t switch to Tuesday, look for weekday mornings or late evenings when the Popular Times graph of your local store reflects lower traffic. In-app “live busyness” and “area busyness” indicators can verify whether a mall or big-box anchor is calm or chaotic before you embark on your parking quest.

State Trends And Last-Minute Shopping Spikes

Google’s state-by-state look finds that for the most part, areas peak on their shopping day on the Saturday before Christmas, but a few of them are running a little later than that with some doing so as late as two days before Christmas. Directions requests to sports stores, clothing shops and bookstores spike sharply during the last shopping stretch, according to data at Apple Inc.’s Maps app, which is closely held but a proxy for foot traffic around the country.

Translation for your to-do list: Shop for gifts early in the week, save the specialty items for Tuesday afternoon runs, and check each store’s busyness trend on Maps before you head out. A 10–15-minute savings per stop — multiply that across many errands.

Mail and Shipping Playbook for Holiday Season

Maps data also shows crunch times at post offices and shipping counters. Mondays midafternoon are the worst; it’s an especially heavy swell in the fortnight before Christmas. For mailing gifts, try Tuesday after lunch and weekday mornings when counters are moving faster and parking is possible.

Useful extras: print at-home labels, rely on self-service kiosks if available, and pay a visit to package pickup boxes listed in Maps if you need only to drop off prepaid items. The app’s crowd indicators can help you determine whether to head up to your regular branch or drive a few minutes for freedom to move around.

Where There’s Breathing Room During the Holidays

It’s not all madness during the holidays. Google’s data shows national and state parks, zoos and aquariums are quieter than usual, so stop in there when malls and arterials are clogged. These spots can bring welcome calm if you’re in need of a reset between cocktailing and gatherings and don’t have time for loads of driving.

Make Data Work for You During Busy Holiday Travel

Switch on live traffic in Maps, compare alternative routes and preview busyness at destinations before you go out. Give the nod to Tuesday afternoons for errands, resist leaving in midday on high-traffic days, and nudge return trips beyond early afternoon. Small tweaks — many suggested by real-time data — add up to a much smoother holiday.

One more thing about privacy: Google says these insights are based on aggregated, anonymized location and directions trends, not individual trip histories. The reward is practical advice — when to leave, where to shop and how to avoid bottlenecks — based on the tens of millions of trips without exposing individuals.