Thanksgiving in Berkeley: Are You Staying or Leaving?

The roads and skies will be a little more crowded this Thanksgiving weekend.

The California State Automobile Association is predicting 5.3 million Californians will travel 50 miles or more this upcoming four-day holiday weekend.

That's an increase of 4.1 percent over last year.

“Many Californians have foregone holiday family gatherings over the past three years,” said AAA Northern California spokesperson Cynthia Harris. “This year the overwhelming desire to travel has taken hold and the desire to create lasting family memories is proving to be more important than staying home for the Thanksgiving weekend.”

Of those travelers, 4.5 million are expected to travel by motor vehicle. These motorists are expected to travel an average of 647 miles during the weekend. 

They'll see gasoline prices that have fallen recently in California. The average now for a gallon of unleaded regular is $3.77, according to the CSAA. That's six cents less than the $3.83 average a week ago and almost nine cents lower than the $3.86 last month.

Another 620,000 Californians are expected to fly. That's despite a 20 percent jump in air fares compared to a year ago.

CSAA predicts 145,000 Californians will travel by train, boat or other modes of transportation.

The average family is expected to spend $906 on holiday-related expenses this weekend.

Are you traveling this Thansgiving weekend? Where are you headed? Vote in our poll and then tell us about your plans in the comments section.