Welcome Back To Post-Thanksgiving Traffic. Here's How To Navigate Return Travel

You made the trip in one direction, survived the Thanksgiving meal, but ahead is still the long schlep back.

Here’s some advice for getting through your drive or flight. And with an estimated 4.6 million Southern California travelers to compete with, you may just need the help.

Hitting the road?

Before the Thanksgiving holiday, the Auto Club told LAist it expected to respond to about 90,000 calls from stranded California drivers this weekend.

"Doing a little bit of preventative maintenance on that vehicle will hopefully prevent that roadside breakdown and get you to your destination on time," said AAA Of Southern California spokesperson Doug Shupe.

Here’s how to reduce your risk of being one of those calls:

• Check the weather along your route 
• Test your car battery 
• Check your lights
• Check your turn signals 
• Check your tires for tread and inflation
• Use extra caution in parking lots — because AAA sees higher insurance claims from Black Friday through the holiday shopping season.

"Parking lot crashes can result in expensive insurance claims for vehicle damage or even injuries or death if a driver strikes a pedestrian," said Shupe.

"Distractions lead to the most crashes because drivers are distracted by passengers, phones, the radio, or they simply have tunnel vision looking for that parking spot."

Braving LAX?

The Sunday and Monday after Thanksgiving are peak travel days at Los Angeles International Airport.

For flyers:

Airport officials are recommending travelers arrive at least a couple hours early before your flight. And here’s a few things you can do with the extra time.

• Take the kids to the playground in the Tom Bradley terminal where there’s an art feature popular with children 
• Order food ahead for contactless pick up at an airport concession. Delivery is available at certain gates through LAX Order Now. Some terminals also have kiosks you can use to order a meal while you wait.  

For drivers:

Airport officials are hoping to reduce time spent circling around the terminals for drivers.

"On a busy day at the international hub there can by 92,000 cars coming through the central terminal," said LAX spokesperson Victoria Spilabotte.

With that in mind, here’s some tips for drop-off and pick-up:

• Arrive early because there will be lots of traffic at LAX
• Use one of two cellphone waiting lots to wait for your passenger before they get to the terminal curb. 
• Passengers should get dropped off at LAX two hours before domestic flights, three for international travel. 

You can take advantage of the LAX live traffic map.