Similarly, TSA screened a record number of passengers on the Sunday following Thanksgiving in 2022, with more than 2.56 million passengers. According to the TSA, the busiest travel days of the year are usually the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving and the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

In 2026, the most popular and highest-volume travel week in the United States remains the week of Thanksgiving. This period, specifically the Wednesday before and the Sunday after the holiday, consistently breaks records for both air travel and highway congestion as millions of Americans travel to visit family. Following closely behind is the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, which is the peak season for leisure travel to warm-weather destinations like Florida and ski resorts in the West. During the summer months, the week surrounding the 4th of July is the most popular for domestic road trips and outdoor vacations. For travelers in 2026, these weeks represent the "peak of peaks," where hotel prices are at their highest and "crowd levels" at theme parks are at their maximum. If your goal is to avoid the crowds, the "dead zones" immediately following these weeks (such as the second week of January or the last week of September) offer the best value and shortest wait times.