AAA: Most Americans since 2005 hitting roads this Thanksgiving

AAA is predicting this Thanksgiving travel period will the busiest in a dozen years as the strong economy and high consumer confidence is encouraging people to venture from home.

The travel organization is predicting about 51 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving. Most of them will drive, about 90 percent according to AAA.

Here in the DMV AAA expects 3 million people to drive to their Thanksgiving Day gatherings.

According to Google, the busiest travel periods will be Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday afternoons. The best time to hit the road according to AAA might be 6 a.m. Thursday and Sunday returning.

AAA says despite elevated gas prices, more Americans are traveling because of rising incomes and a stronger economy, which gives more people the resources for leisure travel.

"People feel much better about their own personal household economy. Keep in mind that leisure travel is discretionary spending and people are only traveling in as much as they think they have the resources to pay for it," said John Townsend, spokesman for AAA Mid-Atlantic.