More Americans plan on traveling this Thanksgiving

More than a third of Americans are planning to travel on Thanksgiving this year, a slight increase from 2011, a new survey reveals.

TripAdvisor, the world largest travel website, conducted a survey to determine America’s Thanksgiving travel plans.

The survey found 35 percent of respondents are planning to travel during the long Thanksgiving holiday weekend, up from 34 percent who did so last year.

Also, 58 percent intend to drive to their Thanksgiving destination, while 38 percent plan to fly even though airfares are on the rise.

Forty-seven percent of travelers said rising airfares affected their Thanksgiving travel plans. Forty-one percent booked their flight early, 35 percent will drive to their destination instead of flying, and 3 percent are waiting for prices to come down.

The top U.S. destinations that travelers will visit, in order, are New York City; Boston; Los Angeles; Orlando, Fla.; and Philadelphia.

The majority of people plan to travel on Thanksgiving Day, and 41 percent will be traveling more than 500 miles.  Half of travelers will return home on Nov. 25 or later.

Despite the sluggish economy, 38 percent will spend more on Thanksgiving travel this year than in 2011, and 47 percent will stay at the home of family or friends.

The survey included more than 1,500 respondents from across the nation.