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Pack your patience! New England is on the move for Thanksgiving travels

BOSTON — This holiday season, plan ahead and expect delays, both on land and in the air.

New Englanders have started moving to their Thanksgiving destinations. And for many travelers, it hasn't been fun.

"Hell," said Jessica Bryant of Alabama, in describing her holiday commute.

One of the busiest travel weeks of the year, AAA predicts 54 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more this Thanksgiving, a 13-year high.

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In Boston, experts say you can expect to see lots of traffic. State transportation officials have issued a warning for Thanksgiving travelers to leave plenty of extra time due to those predictions and the winter weather.

On Tuesday, South Station in Boston buzzed with excitement as travelers tried to catch the train to their holiday destination. From a scale of 1-10, travelers told Boston 25 News that it was a 10 for one of the worst holiday commutes.

It was the hurry up-and-wait game for Emily Paddon and so many others.

"My butt hurts from the bus," Paddon said.

Paolo Hu of Rochester, New York said he preferred to travel on Tuesday.

"Tomorrow might be more people coming, so I would rather do it today," Hu said.

More transit police officers were on hand, making sure everything runs smoothly. But that's not the case for several travelers.

"We’ve been lugging all this stuff around Boston all day," said Samuel Ellis of Alabama.

MassPort estimates more than 1 and a half million people will be traveling in and out of Boston Logan this Thanksgiving. Travelers are being advised to check with their airline carrier for any flight delays.

Mass DOT's highway administrator says they're expecting a 15 to 20 percent increase in traffic in the coming days and again on Sunday as people come back home.

"These next few days will be super busiest days of the year," said Jonathan Gulliver, of Mass DOT. "It's typical. Our goal is to ensure that everyone who is traveling will be safe and efficient as possible. We are expecting increased volumes on the road, Tues, Wed, then again on Sunday."

Mass DOT also announced all road work has been put on hold over the holiday and the HOV lane on 93 and the Sumner Tunnel swing lane will open early to try to ease congestion.

At Logan Airport, some travelers got a head start on their travels on Monday to play it safe.

WATCH: MassDOT previews Thanksgiving holiday travel changes

"Traveling on Tuesday or Wednesday would be a nightmare, that's why we came on Monday," said Barbara Harris, who traveled all the way from London.

MORE: On the roads and rails: MassDOT Thanksgiving holiday travel information

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