Holiday travelers hit the roads, airports despite being asked to stay home

Millions of Americans are traveling to their Thanksgiving destinations this week, despite health officials urging people to stay at home and limit their exposure during the pandemic. On Wednesday, travelers passed through the desert. Many stopped to get gas and take a break.

"Ran into some traffic. There’s a lot of traffic out there coming out of the LA area," Monterey County resident, Grayling Jones said.

Jones was headed to Phoenix for a small Thanksgiving celebration.

According to AAA, travel is expected to dip by about 13.5% this year compared to the previous year.

Despite the estimates, lots of people headed through the desert with trailers in tow.

"We take the razor out so we go off-roading and enjoy the time, spend 4-5 days away from all the craziness," Riverside resident, Flint Norman said.

Another resident from Cherry Valley stopped by on his way to Ocotillo Wells.

"Try to get with the family out there. It was just kind of this year, out of the norm. We wanted to stay out of the house, social distance a little bit," said Richard Kesner.

Kesner also brought a barbecue to make his turkey.

"I’m going to smoke a turkey, and the family-- they’re all doing their own sides," said Kesner.

He is among the 3.9 million people in Southern California that are expected to take a trip of 50 miles or more this holiday.

"We anticipate that the pandemic will really decrease the number of people that will be traveling this Thanksgiving," said AAA spokesperson, Doug Shupe.

Shupe said the agency estimated auto travel to dip by about 7%.

Although less people have hit the road, many still plan to have limited gatherings.

"Less people. With everything going on we can’t have large gatherings," said Jones.