Plan your holiday drives with Google Maps’ trends

From navigating airports to wading through crowded grocery stores, the holidays are full of fun and busy moments. Ahead of the jam-packed season, we’re sharing this year’s U.S. holiday traffic predictions to help you plan ahead and save time — whether you’re road tripping to festivities, knocking out all of your holiday tasks or even starting to plan your Christmas commute. Read on for our top takeaways:

🚘 Hit the road early!

If possible, get a head start on Thanksgiving and avoid heading out on Tuesday and Wednesday. Typically, roads are clearest the Sunday or Monday before the big day around 8 p.m. local time. But don’t leave too early: The Friday before Thanksgiving is often when traffic is busiest, especially from 1-2 p.m.

🦃 Time your Thursday drive wisely.

Make sure you, the green bean casserole and the pumpkin pie all arrive on time. It’s best not to drive on Thanksgiving Day at all — but if you must, head out before 9 a.m. or after 3 p.m. to avoid getting stuck in a jam.

💳 Beat Black Friday chaos.

To brave the crowds or not? Whatever you decide, the roads on Black Friday are busiest between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Make plans for the morning or evening instead.

🎄Plan your Christmas commute now!

There’s no such thing as being too prepared. When planning your Christmas adventures, try to avoid driving between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m. in the days leading up to the 25th — that’s when roads are typically most congested.

Because nothing dampens holiday cheer like waiting in long lines, we also analyzed Google Maps’ Popular Times trends to let you know the best and worst times to visit top holiday spots — check them out below.

Now that you know when (and when not) to hit the road, don’t miss our other tips on how Google can help you handle the holidays like a pro!