High gas prices and economic worries apparently will not be not enough to keep Californians from going to Grandma's house and other far-flung destinations over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend.
The annual Thanksgiving weekend travel survey released Friday by AAA Northern California predicts that more than 5.3 million Californians plan to travel 50 miles or more over the four-day weekend, up 4.1 percent from last year.
AAA said many Golden State residents indicated their intentions to visit family and friends instead of trimming travel budgets.
"Many Californians have forgone holiday family gatherings over the past three years," said AAA spokeswoman Cynthia Harris.
"This year, the overwhelming desire to travel has taken hold, and the desire to create lasting family memories is proving to be more important than staying home for the Thanksgiving weekend."
AAA expects the state's roadways to be heavily congested at times as more than 4.5 million Californians are projected to travel by motor vehicle over Thanksgiving weekend.
AAA predicted that an average family of four will drive nearly 650 miles during that time.
On Friday, AAA said the average price of unleaded regular gasoline statewide was $3.79 a gallon, 61 cents higher than it was one year ago.
Comparatively high airfares have not discouraged an estimated 620,000 Californians from making flight reservations. That's up about 2 percent from last year.
Another 145,000 state residents are expected to travel by other modes of transportation, including boats and trains.
AAA predicted that a family of four will spend slightly more than $900, on average, over the four days.
Nationally, AAA forecasts that more than 42.5 million people will travel 50 miles or more during the four-day weekend, up 4 percent from 2010.
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