A record 80 million Americans are expected to travel for Thanksgiving this year, according to AAA projections. The big picture: That's an increase of 1.7 million people from last year's record-shattering figure.

For those traveling to see family for the Thanksgiving holiday, AAA has some advice on the best times to start the journey to avoid the majority of traffic. The organization is estimating at least 80 million people nationwide will travel for the holiday,

From Nov. 26 to Dec. 2, AAA estimates that 79.9 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home, an increase of 1.7 million from last year. Some of that increase can be attributed to AAA expanding the Thanksgiving travel period, for the first time including the Tuesday before Thanksgiving Day and the Monday afterward.

On average, 2.8 million passengers are expected to fly each day of the Thanksgiving holiday and over 3 million people will go through TSA checks on Sunday, December 1.