Photo by Tim Brown

Nationwide, 48.7 million people will venture 50 miles or more from home this Thanksgiving—the highest number of Americans in nine years, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic. The D.C. region accounts for 1.2 million of those travelers, which will make for a tough time getting around.

“The entrance and exit ramps on area freeways; the runways and taxiways at DCA, IAD, and BWI; the railway platforms at Union Station; and the departure and arrival stands at the bus station will all be packed,” said John Townsend II, AAA Mid-Atlantic’s manager of public and government affairs.

Just over 90 percent of D.C.-area travelers will hit the road by car—that’s a nearly six percent increase, or 61,600 more people than last year. While the holiday’s official travel period is from Wednesday, November 23 until Sunday, November 27, people will get moving as early as this Sunday. And according to a 2014 analysis by the Metropolitan Washington Council of Government, traffic is at its worst on the Tuesday afternoon before the holiday.

AAA’s projections are based on economic forecasting and research by the London-based company IHS Market. The insurance company attributes the increase in journeys to economic improvements during the second half of this year, including rising wages, increased consumer spending, “and overall strength in consumer confidence.”

And although gas prices have increased a little recently, AAA says drivers nationwide have saved more than $28 billion at the pump so far this year, compared to the same period last year. As of Monday, the national average price for gasoline was $2.17 cents per gallon—12 cents more than the average price on Thanksgiving last year. In fact, $2.17 is the second-cheapest Thanksgiving gas price since 2008, when the national average was $1.85.

Townsend says the best times to leave are mornings “because the roads should be less crowded” and on the actual holiday because there’s usually “less congestion and fewer crowds.”