The American Automobile Association (AAA) is expecting a 10 percent drop in travel this Thanksgiving holiday – the largest one-year decrease since the Great Recession in 2008.

The AAA says the effects of COVID-19, including health concerns and high unemployment, will impact on Americans’ decisions to travel.

Based on mid-October forecast models, AAA says it would have expected up to 50 million Americans to travel for Thanksgiving – a drop from 55 million in 2019. However, as the holiday approaches and Americans monitor the public health landscape, including rising COVID-19 positive case numbers, renewed quarantine restrictions and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) travel health notices, AAA expects the actual number of holiday travelers to be even lower.

Those who do travel are expected to drive shorter distances and reduce the number of days they are away, according to the AAA, which also predicts that road trips will be the dominant form of travel and will account for 95 percent of all holiday travel.

The AAA is reminding travelers to plan their route in advance. To minimize the number of stops along the way, it advises packing meals, extra snacks and drinks, in addition to an emergency roadside kit.

The AAA says it expects to rescue more than 413,000 Americans at the roadside this Thanksgiving.