GREENVILLE, S.C. -- As Thanksgiving approaches, more and more drivers are making their way down interstates and to airports for the busiest travel day of the year.

Also: Thanksgiving Travelers Line Up At GSP | Check Your Car Before Hitting Roads

AAA Carolinas said that despite higher gas prices this year, more Carolinians are expected to drive than fly.

The automotive association said that it predicts that 569,000 people will travel more than 50 miles from home. That number is up about 17,000 from 2008.

AAA Carolinas said that 36,000 will travel by air this holiday, which is a decline of 2,500 passengers from last year. They said this is the third straight year that such a decrease has been noted. The agency said that new fees for baggage and other previously free services, plus peak fare surcharges for Thanksgiving, are to blame for the decline.

The agency said that about 479,000 in South Carolina will hit the roads for their Thanksgiving travel, which is up by 15,500 motorists from 2008. The increase in highway traffic comes despite an increase in the national average gas price by 63 cents over last year.

AAA Carolinas said that 983,000 North Carolinians will be on the roads over the holiday, while 77,000 residents will fly.

The travel agency said that drivers should check their cars before packing up and starting out.

"By making time out of your schedule, you're controlling your vehicle being checked and making yourself prepared," Jeremy Likins, a manager with AAA said.

Likins said that the most important thing to have checked on your vehicle is the pressure and tread of the tires.

"That way, that kind of gives them a little bit more security," Likins said.

Likins said that drivers should also check fluids of the vehicle before hitting the road. He said that motorists should also pack an emergency kit with blankets and food.

For even more protection, Likins said that drivers should invest in reflective triangles in case they become stranded on the side of the road.

Likins said that all of this preparation will ensure drivers are getting to their destinations safely.

"One of the main things is to have fun with the family and you know you want to have that experience," Likin said. "You want to, you know, 10 years down the road, 'Remember that time we took that road trip with the kids?' You want it to be a good and positive experience and the way you do that is not being spontaneous, but planning and preparing, and enjoy the time while you have it."

The South Carolina Highway Patrol said that more troopers will be on the roads because of the projected increase in holiday travel. Troopers said that there were 14 motorists killed in collisions over the Thanksgiving holiday last year.

AAA reminds motorists traveling to eastern Tennessee that they have a significant detour around I-40, where a rockslide near the North Carolina-Tennessee state line shut down several miles of the road.