Travelers give thanks on Thanksgiving

While most of us have arrived at the home of our loved ones to enjoy a day filled with food, family, friends, football and fun, others are hosting the biggest meal of the year.

No matter if you are the person traveling or the person cooking and preparing Thanksgiving dinner, this is when we look around the table and give thanks for our families and the people in our lives.

Getting to those people in our lives could be a bit of an adventure.

The FAA predicts this will be the busiest Thanksgiving, travelwise, in 15 years.

WTOP spoke to some of those travelers on Thanksgiving Eve at the rest area off Interstate 95 in Laurel, Maryland.

Linsey Dunbar, along with her husband and two daughters, is traveling from Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, to northeast Maryland. She said this was a very special Thanksgiving for her family.

“We just came back from this summer from Japan, so we didn’t get to do holidays with families the last two years,” Dunbar said.

While the Sinha family were all excited about the trip to New York, Harsha said her husband, Vikas, needed the rest.

“He works as a psychiatrist at MedStar,” Harsha said. “For the last 40 days, he’s been working continuously.”

Vikas did acknowledge that he appreciates some time off.

“I actually enjoy working, so I’m a little bit tired, but I think it’s a good time to spend time with family and especially with the holidays and traditions, Vikas said.

The Sinha’s 5-year-old son impressed his parents by saying he was thankful for the whole planet.

One of the families at the rest stop were not traveling, but taking in the busy roads.

Neko and Zayden are locals and come by the rest stop nearly every day after school to stand by the road to watch the 18-wheelers drive by.

“He’s autistic and nonverbal,” Neko said. “So, he just likes coming out here and watching trucks.”

The single dad said his nearly 9-year-old son loves doing the universal pull sign for truck drivers to honk their horns, which happens a lot.

“A lot of truck drivers start to recognize him too, so we don’t have to do it as much,” Neko said.

While Neko stood with his son motioning the trucks to honk, he said he has a lot to be thankful for.

“I’m thankful for my health. I’m thankful that I have a healthy son and thankful for my position in life right now,” the father said.

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