Whether driving or flying, here are the best times to travel this Fourth of July

Many people are taking advantage of July Fourth falling on Thursday and turning the holiday into a four-day weekend.

The big picture: That also means travelers will most likely hit the road or the airport at the same time, creating commuter chaos.

By the numbers: AAA projects about 70 million people nationwide will travel 50 miles or more from home this week.

• That's a 5% increase compared to last year, and an 8% increase over 2019.
• 60 million people will travel by car, nearly 6 million by plane and about 4 million by other means, AAA reports.
• In Illinois, nearly 4 million people will drive, 150,000 will fly and about 250,00 will take other transportation.

Zoom out: INRIX , which provides transportation data, predicts the worst times to drive will be 2-7pm before and on the Fourth of July.

• Hit the road before noon Tuesday and Wednesday, and leave before 10am Thursday.
• If possible, return Monday to avoid the most traffic.

Zoom in: These are the best and worst times to travel to and from Chicago:

• Peak congestion driving south toward Indianapolis will be at 2:45pm Wednesday, and will take nearly five hours — two hours longer than normal.
• Airports will be busiest Wednesday ahead of the holiday, and Sunday and Monday will have the most travelers returning, according to Hopper .
• O'Hare will be the fourth-busiest airport, with peak departure times between 4-8pm Wednesday.

The bottom line: Leave extra early and practice patience.