Gas prices are slowly rising, making road trips look grim for Thanksgiving travelers. Prices are much higher than last year, and the national average for a gallon of regular gas peaked at $2.64 on Monday.

Compared to a year ago, gas prices have skyrocketed 72 cents per gallon, and up to $77.56 a barrel, which some analyzers say means little change for gas prices in the future. Most vacationers have heeded the warning, and only two percent more travelers than last year have chosen to hit the road.

So what does this mean for travelers? Well, it would have been smart to book your Thanksgiving flight in advance, or to take advantage of the last-minute deals that were published this week. So far, Virgin America, Frontier, United, and Southwest have already expired their Thanksgiving sales. But all in all, this means to get a head start on your next holiday flight.

You can still avoid paying at the pump, and get cheap flights for the holidays with American Airlines' domestic sale.

© Cheapflights Ltd Andrea Mooney