Thanksgiving turkey and traffic tips from Google Trends and Maps

Next week tens of millions of Americans will hit the road to spend Thanksgiving with loved ones near and far. So now’s the time to start planning your Thanksgiving celebration of food, family and football. From figuring out the best time to leave for grandma’s house to searching for the tastiest pumpkin pie recipe to wow your guests – Google’s your guide to a successful (and gluttonous) turkey day. Here’s a look at some of the top Thanksgiving searches on Google along with some handy holiday traffic tips and destination trends from Google Maps. For more, check out Google Trends.

Getting to the feast

To enjoy the Thanksgiving festivities, first you have to get where you’re going. We looked at historical Google Maps traffic data to help you hit the road and avoid Thanksgiving traffic gridlock. 

If you’re flying this Thanksgiving or just dropping off or picking up loved ones, get ready for the airport traffic. In cities with busy airports, airport traffic can be up to 60 percent worse than a normal workday. Here’s a cheat sheet on the best and worst traffic times around the top five busiest airports in the country.

Once you’re there, it’s all about the food (and drink)

Search interest in Thanksgiving-related terms has tripled since October, and within the next week, we expect it to more than double again. For a foodie holiday like Thanksgiving, we looked at the top trending recipes searches in the US and by state. If top searches are any indication of what you’ll find at your Thanksgiving dinner this year, get ready for roasted turkey with dressing, green bean casserole (love it or hate it), mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie.

But there's more to a meal than just the food. A great drink pairing can elevate any meal – a culinary secret that people using Google Maps know well. On the day before Thanksgiving, wine shops and liquor stores are the most queried  food and drink shopping locations on Google Maps.

Whether you’re hosting a friendsgiving, flying across the country, or just driving across town. Whether you’d rather bite into a pecan pie than a pumpkin pie. And whether you’re roasting a turkey, cooking a ham, or going meatless with a tofurkey. Happy Thanksgiving from Google.