The countdown has begun: Thanksgiving is a mere week away and, if you're anything like the average American, you're already dreading seemingly unending family time and soul-sucking traffic jams while driving to see said family.
As usual, Google comes to the rescue, this time with a helpful new tool meant to guide you through your Thanksgiving journey—both before and after the big meal.
Google analyzed 2016 traffic data in 25 major cities across the country to figure out the best time to hit the road in order to avoid traffic, depending on where you are traveling from.
One thing is clear: Getting in your car at 4pm on Wednesday is a bad idea, no matter where you live. As to when you should plan on leaving? It depends.
Folks in New York City, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, Miami, Philadelphia, Orlando and Tampa are encouraged to start traveling around 4am on Wednesday (yikes). Those leaving from Portland, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Boston, Dallas, Detroit, Chicago, Phoenix and Sacramento should set up their alarm clocks even earlier, given a 3am on Wednesday suggested departing time. Travelers whose trips begin in St. Louis or Pittsburgh are relatively lucky: They can start driving on Wednesday at 5am.
As for your trip back home, Friday at dawn seems to be the least traffic-heavy time to travel across the board. Planning on heading back on Sunday? You can rest assured that, although bad, traffic won't be as heavy as the days leading up to Thanksgiving.
Check out the entire study right here and start loading up your iPod with the 50 best road trip songs of all time.