MILWAUKEE — Milwaukee's Intermodal Station has seen sold-out trains and lines wrapped around the building this holiday week.
The lines and wait times give a good portrayal of record-breaking travel numbers the state and nation are expecting to see.
Tavi Veraldi and her partner Grace Rother are two of the many travelers making the trip home by train this year.
"Our car is like 10 years old too so we're like 'okay, let's take the train," Veraldi said.
According to AAA, nearly 1.6 million Wisconsinites will travel 50 miles or more for the holiday.
As more travelers are heading to the rails, Amtrak has also added additional trains and increased trip frequencies to meet demand.
Watch: Lines stretch around Milwaukee's Intermodal station as holiday travel ramps up
"We're country drivers, we live in the country, so city driving is not our schtick," Mary Peterson-Smith told TMJ4.
It's why she and her husband, Raymond, opted to wake up early and make the trip to Milwaukee's Intermodal instead of driving to their family's Michigan home.
"We just didn't want to drive through Chicago, it's a long drive so we can just sit back and relax," said Raymond Smith. "And it's almost easier than flying in a way, you never know about cancellations, etcetera."
And flights on Wednesday were just as filled.
Travelers at Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport tell TMJ4 they made sure to get there early in anticipation of longer wait times.
"We just wanted to make sure we got here a couple hours ahead of time and were not going to be surprised with any lines, and it's been going pretty good," said Shawn Redman.
When it comes to driving, gas prices this holiday season are significantly lower than last year.
Wednesday afternoon is predicted to be the worst time to travel on the roads this week, so drivers are encouraged to hit the road Thursday morning instead, if possible.
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