A higher number of Americans are gearing up for Thanksgiving travel by road or air encouraged by a booming economy, higher wages, rising consumer confidence and increasing levels of household wealth. The frenzy for trips during the Thanksgiving weekend is far more than the other years.

According to travel service provider American Automobile Association (AAA), Thanksgiving holiday travel volume in airports, train stations and roads will be the highest since 2005. As many as 54.3 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving weekend (Nov 21-Nov 25), up 5% from last year. Of them, 48.5 million (up 5% from the last year) will go on road trips, 4.27 million (up 5.4%) will fly, and the remaining 1.48 million (up 1.4%) will travel by trains, buses, and cruises.

Though road trips are projected to see an increase, motorists are expected to pay the highest gas prices in four years. National average gas price as of Nov 1 was $2.79, up 31 cents from last year. However, travelers’ wallets will find some relief when paying for car rentals, and mid-range hotels. This is because the average daily car rental rate of $63 is 10% cheaper than last year, per AAA’s Leisure Travel Index. Meanwhile, AAA Three Diamond hotels are 6% cheaper than last year at an average rate of $166 per night, while AAA Two Diamond hotels are priced 6% higher with an average nightly cost of $124.

Another report from the U.S. airlines group Airlines for America (A4A) shows that a record 30.6 million passengers will fly over the 12-day Thanksgiving holiday travel period (Nov 16-Nov 27), up from 29 million last year. The busiest day will be Nov 25. The other busiest days for air travel will be Nov 21 and Nov 16.

Huge travel demand should boost revenues and profitability for airlines and railroads, thereby leading to higher share prices. Investors shouldn’t miss this opportunity and could tap this trend through ETFs and stocks that stand to profit big time from the upbeat Thanksgiving travel trend.