The Thanksgiving rush has begun; millions of Americans are now on their way to families and friends for the traditional feast of pumpkin pies and turkey.

From here till Thanksgiving day itself, expect crowded airports and even more congested flights, outlandish traffic with a lot of out-of-state plates and everyone checking the weather forecast every 5 minutes.

Speaking of the weather, travellers should presume bad conditions all around and consequently adjust itineraries as such. In the Pacific Northwest, storm signals have been raised and expectations of flood are likely. The Northeast also anticipates heavy rains and perhaps snowfall in some parts of New England.

Weather related flight disturbances and delays have also been reported from Philadelphia International, O'Hare, Newark International, LaGuardia and even John F. Kennedy International. That isn't to say that people are discouraged from trekking to their hometowns, quite the opposite really.

The AAA has released a projected account of how many will still opt to travel for Thanksgiving and they estimate close to 50 million Americans will be making the trip; that's a slight 4% increase from last year's results.

Even with somewhat lesser holidaymakers choosing to fly this year, the TSA is making their procedures more standardized and streamlined so as not to ruin flyers' holiday experience. The Air Transport of America also cautions flyers to book their tickets as early as they can-Nov. 27-28 is anticipated to be the busiest days for flying.

In this kind of climate, people just want to be with their families and want to make sure that everything goes efficiently according to plan. It's important to be prepared so if you're flying, check the TSA's guide on how to go through safety procedures faster and what is allowed when travelling with food products.

If you're driving to your destination, the AAA recommends packing half a tank of gas at all times, as well as extra food, clothing, cell phone, cell phone batteries and medication in case you get stranded.

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