TripAdvisor(R), the world's largest travel community, today announced the results of its Thanksgiving travel survey of more than 1,000 U.S. travelers. Thirty-seven percent of Americans plan to travel this Thanksgiving, equal to 37 percent one year ago. Fifty-seven percent of respondents plan to drive to their destination this Thanksgiving, down slightly from 59 percent, last year, while 38 percent intend to fly, up marginally from 37 percent, one year ago.

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  Family Matters

Seventy-seven percent will see family and friends for the holiday. Seven percent said they are traveling specifically to avoid family and friends. Thirty percent of respondents said they feel pressure to travel and spend Thanksgiving with family.

Fifty-five percent said seeing family and friends makes Thanksgiving travel worth all the hassle, while 25 percent said just getting away makes it worth it.

Cash Considerations

Seventy-six percent of travelers said economic and market concerns have not affected their Thanksgiving plans. If money was no object, 30 percent said their dream Thanksgiving would be exploring an exotic tropical destination, while the greatest amount, 31 percent said their idea of a dream Thanksgiving is right at home with family and friends.

Time and Distance

Twenty-eight percent will travel to their destination on Thanksgiving Day, and 28 percent will travel the day before on Wednesday, November, 26. Twenty-seven percent will travel home on Sunday, November 30. Thirteen percent will travel home on Thanksgiving Day.

Fifteen percent will travel less than 100 miles from home for Thanksgiving, and 36 percent will travel less than 300 miles. Nine percent said they will be traveling overseas this Thanksgiving. Fifteen percent of respondents said they will be traveling outside the U.S. for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Thirty-six percent will visit a city this Thanksgiving, 33 percent will go to the suburbs for the holiday and 15 percent will be going to a beach.

Thanksgiving Love and Hate

Thirty-four percent said they love everything about Thanksgiving. Ten percent cited flight delays as the most annoying aspect of Thanksgiving, 10 percent said getting stuck in traffic and 10 percent said they always eat too much.

The top Thanksgiving foods worth traveling for, according to respondents are turkey, (37 percent) stuffing (22 percent) and pumpkin pie (11 percent.)

Eight percent of respondents said they have ruined cooking the Thanksgiving turkey.

Twenty-two percent of travelers plan to travel on Black Friday to go shopping.

Five Funniest Thanksgiving Travel Stories from Survey Respondents

1. "We lost grandma in the airport, took 90 minutes to find her ... in the boarding area of an outgoing flight."

2. "Hauled off a train in Sofia, Bulgaria by secret police ... seriously scary."

3. "I left the turkey in the cooler at the house ... 6 hours away. Mad rush to get one, had duck that year."

4. "Flight canceled out of Montgomery, and had to take a bus to Atlanta. The bus driver got lost, we missed our flight, and spent the day in the airport."

5. "Driving back home from Vegas visiting family and hit the tail end of a blizzard. Cars were abandoned all over the highway. White-knuckle driving the whole way."

"We continue to see that Thanksgiving is a dedicated travel holiday among our respondents, regardless of circumstance," said Michele Perry, vice president of global communications for TripAdvisor, "Despite the humorous Thanksgiving trip stories, the majority of travelers feel that seeing family and friends makes all the frustrations of fighting traffic and delays worth it."

About TripAdvisor Media Network

TripAdvisor(R) Media Network, operated by TripAdvisor, LLC, attracts more than 32 million monthly visitors* across 12 popular travel brands: TripAdvisor(R), www.airfarewatchdog.com, www.bookingbuddy.com, www.cruisecritic.com, www.holidaywatchdog.com, www.independenttraveler.com, www.onetime.com, www.seatguru.com, www.smartertravel.com, www.travel-library.com, www.travelpod.com and www.virtualtourist.com. TripAdvisor-branded sites make up the largest travel community in the world, with more than 25 million monthly visitors*, nine million registered members and 20 million reviews and opinions. Featuring real advice from real travelers, TripAdvisor-branded sites cover 300,000+ hotels and attractions and operate in the U.S. (http://www.tripadvisor.com/), the U.K. (http://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/), Ireland (http://www.tripadvisor.ie/), France (http://www.tripadvisor.fr/), Germany (http://www.tripadvisor.de/), Italy (http://www.tripadvisor.it/), Spain (http://www.tripadvisor.es/), India (http://www.tripadvisor.in/) and Japan (http://www.tripadvisor.jp/). TripAdvisor(R) Media Network provides travel suppliers with graphical advertising opportunities and a cost-per-click marketing platform. Collectively, the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network have won hundreds of awards and accolades from press and industry worldwide. TripAdvisor and the sites comprising the TripAdvisor Media Network are operating companies of Expedia, Inc. .

TripAdvisor is a registered trademark of TripAdvisor LLC in the U.S. and/or other countries. Other logos or product and company names mentioned herein may be the property of their respective owners.

*Source: comScore Media Metrix, July 2008

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SOURCE: TripAdvisor, LLC