WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – With Thanksgiving Thursday, millions of Americans hit the road or board a plane to visit families. AAA (Triple-A) expects around 500,000 Kansans to travel by car this year. This does not include people from other states driving to or through the state.

On Wednesday, at the Belle Plaine Travel Center off the Kansas Toll Freeway, gas pumps were busy and the line for food was long. Travelers said that despite the number of people out, they were excited to celebrate the holiday, especially as health guidelines prevented many families from coming together last year. Drivers from states across the country, including Texas and Montana, drove through the south Wichita travel hub on Wednesday.

At the Travel Center, a man named Ron from San Antonio spoke about his trip to this point, a few hours from his destination in Omaha.

“Texas was very busy with construction and stuff, but once we got into Oklahoma it was pretty good,” he said. “Now Kanas is excellent. ”

Others decided to fly to Wichita and travel a relatively short distance to reach their destination. This included a traveler from Missoula, Montana to Enid, Okla. who said the flights were on time. The traveler cited a decision to leave on Tuesday as a factor in the lucky experience that didn’t involve too many crowds or delays.

Gas prices quickly made travel more expensive for drivers and travelers, but those who spoke to Eyewitness News said the extra cost was worth it to see family and friends, some for the first time. times for over a year.

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