Just the thought of any kind of travel the week of Thanksgiving and you can cue the anxiety.
Travel by plane, and you deal with crazy prices, crowded airports and cranky travelers. Travel by car and, well, be prepared to sit in the worst traffic of the year and be on guard for some angry drivers.
OK, so those are likely worst-case scenarios, but plausible, no doubt.
Because they think of pretty much everything, Google Maps has gauged the best and worst time to hit the roads for your Thanksgiving travel.
Generally, what Google Maps found from studying 2018 traffic is that the best time to hit the road for Thanksgiving is on Wednesday early morning. Though times vary slightly from city to city, leaving by 4 a.m. seems to be the sweet spot. The worst time is Wednesday at 4 p.m.
On the same note, when you decide to come back home can really impact your travel. Again, while the worst time to travel varies by city from Friday afternoon to Saturday afternoon, Google found if you really want to try to have a more pleasant driving experience, it will be best to head back home by 4 a.m. Friday.
Click here to find the best travel times for major metro areas across the nation.