SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — Not wasting any time, many travelers took this weekend to kick off their Thanksgiving trips.
"It is nice to beat the crowd, and plus we had the time off. Pleasantly surprised with how few people are here,” said Emily Moynihan, who is traveling to Kansas City with her mother.
Carlsbad mother Stacie Wilson got to the airport two hours early with her 11- and 13-year-old daughters and dog Boomer.
"We are headed to Huntsville, Texas to see grandma and family for Thanksgiving. We chose to leave today so that we could beat the rush for Thanksgiving. We know it is going to be crazy,” Wilson said.
Since the pandemic started, there have been crazy incidents in the sky that include fights with flight attendants over mask mandates. The Wilsons say they will have no problem following the rules.
"We've talked about it, but we are going to do what we need to do and that is all we can control, so we are going to be nice because the flight attendants and pilots are working over the holidays, and we are so thankful that they have chosen to work, so that we can go enjoy family,” Wilson said.
It's all about family for Sean Holcomb who was getting gas near his home in Clairemont and is only planning to drive locally for Thanksgiving.
"Most of my family lives in San Diego, so we already had our little bubble to begin with last year so it won't be too much travel,” said Holcomb, who will spend Thanksgiving in Encinitas.
As for some travelers flying into San Diego today, it was smooth sailing. One couple from Denver said there were no delays, TSA worker shortages or passenger drama.
The Moynihan's can't wait to get to Kansas City. "We will keep our masks on, we do not have any problem with that at all I just hope for the best, said Jody Moynihan.
After spending the 2020 Holidays at home, many didn't mind risking the travel rush to reunite with loved ones across the country.
"Everybody was home, we were home, so this is nice to get back and see family,” Moynihan said.
There is still time to beat the big travel rush, whether it be in the air or by road, Wednesday is anticipated to be the busiest time to leave for Thanksgiving.
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