10 tips and tidbits to make Thanksgiving travel easier
Turkey thawed? Tank full of gas? Nothing over 3.4 ounces in carry-on?
Sounds like you're prepared for the big one, but just in case, here's a refresher course to make Thanksgiving travel easier than talking politics over pumpkin pie.
• Travel is contagious this Thanksgiving with 1 million more people flying, driving, boating or journeying in some capacity this year compared to 2015, AAA reports. About 48.7 million Americans will travel between Wednesday, Nov. 23, and Sunday, Nov. 27; 43.5 million are driving while 3.7 million will fly.
• Best times to hit the road? Highways are typically busiest the day before Thanksgiving, so if you can, leave earlier in the week. Try to hit the sweet spot between the morning and afternoon rush-hours, AAA's Beth Mosher advises.
• About 2.5 million Illinois residents will make a Thanksgiving trip with 2.3 million driving this year. Gas prices continue to be something to be thankful for with a gallon of regular going for $2.21 on average in the Chicago region compared to $2.27 in 2015, AAA reported.
• About 182,000 Illinoisans will be flying this holiday, a 1.5 percent dip from 2015. But airports will still be busy and experts advise fliers to arrive two hours in advance of domestic flights. That especially applies to O'Hare International Airport with the possibility of a strike by baggage handlers, cleaners and wheelchair attendants looming.
• If you're a trusted air traveler enrolled in the government's PreCheck program, the Transportation Security Administration has just made it even easier for you. Go to tsa.gov/precheck/schedule, and you'll find a list of PreCheck lanes open at your airport.
• Who knew? Turkeys are allowed in carry-ons, and so are E-cigarettes and vape pens. Vape pens and E-cigarettes, however, are banned in checked luggage because of the "lithium battery's propensity to catch fire," the TSA says. As for gravy, OK in checked luggage but not in carry-on unless you only want 3.4 ounces of it.
• And speaking of catching on fire, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices are verboten anywhere on any airplane. For more on what you can and can't bring, go to the helpful "Can I bring my" website at apps.tsa.dhs.gov/mytsa/cib_home.
• Smartphones and drivers make a dangerous combination. It's legal to use hands-free phones in Illinois, but experts warn that if your brain is focused on technology and not on the road, the results can be deadly.
• If you're out on the toll roads and run into car trouble, park on the shoulder, raise your hood, stay inside and dial *999 for assistance.
• Heading downtown for the Magnificent Mile Lights Festival Saturday, Nov. 19? Metra is adding extra trains on its BNSF, Union Pacific West and Northwest lines. An $8 unlimited ride weekend pass is available and kids age 11 and under get in free with a paying adult.