AAA Texas: Hurricane Aftermath Will Dampen Some Thanksgiving Travel Plans.

HOUSTON -- Slightly fewer numbers of Texans are expected to take Thanksgiving trips this holiday weekend, reflecting the continued regional effects of the hurricanes, as well as the devastation of some popular travel destinations, according to AAA Texas.

AAA Texas projects that 3.27 million people statewide will take trips of at least 50 miles from home this weekend, compared to nearly 3.29 million who took trips last year--a drop of less than one percent. Of that number, nearly 2.79 million--85 percent--are expected to drive to their destinations, while more than 310,000 are expected to fly.

Nationally, AAA predicts that Thanksgiving travel will increase less than one percent over last year, with 37.3 million travelers expected compared to 37 million in 2004.

"Some Texas travelers have been impacted by hurricane damage both locally and at popular tourist spots in Mexico and the U.S.," said AAA Texas spokesperson Rose Rougeau. "However, we don't believe that the travel decline will continue into the Christmas-New Year's period. The state is continuing to recover economically from the disasters, and gas prices are still decreasing."

For the first time in months, Texas travelers will find some places to fill up their tanks for less than $2 a gallon. Corpus Christi already has gas prices averaging under $2, and San Antonio and Texarkana may add to that trend by Thanksgiving weekend if price declines continue.

The most popular spots for Texas travelers this weekend, according to a survey of AAA Travel agents, are:

1. San Antonio, Texas 

2. Orlando, Florida 

3. New York City, New York 

4. Branson, Missouri

5. Las Vegas, Nevada

AAA Texas offers these tips for travelers flying.

--Travel with unwrapped gifts. If a wrapped gift sets off an alarm, security officers may need to unwrap the gift to resolve the alarm.

--To minimize the risk of damage or loss, don't pack fragile or valuable items in checked baggage. Take them with you in carry-on baggage or ship them to your destination instead.

--Put undeveloped film in carry-on baggage because equipment used to screen checked baggage will damage film. Also, high-speed and specialty film should not be put through X-ray machines, so passengers may ask security officers at the checkpoint to physically inspect film.

--Remember to put identification tags in and on all baggage including laptops.

--Everyone, even frequent fliers, should double-check the contents of their pockets and bags, particularly carry-on luggage, to ensure no prohibited items are inadvertently packed.

--Don't over-pack bags. If security officers have to open them, closing overstuffed bags can be difficult and may result in that checked bag being delayed until a later flight.

--If security needs to open a locked bag for inspection, they may have to break the lock. If you choose to lock your bag, we recommend using a lock approved by the Transportation Security Adminstration, which has a locking system that enables security officers to open and relock the bag.

AAA Texas, an affiliate of the American Automobile Association, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas' members benefit by the organization's roadside assistance service, travel agency, financial products, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' web site at www.aaa.com.