A record number of Americans are traveling this Thanksgiving, bringing congestion to roads, airports and train stations in the Chicago metro area.

More than 4 million people from Illinois are set to travel more than 50 miles this holiday, which is a new record.

One family CBS News Chicago spoke with had members drive and fly into Chicago. While the start of their journey went smoothly, both are keeping an eye on the incoming snow this weekend, which is already impacting their travel decisions.

"We're leaving on Friday to avoid the snow," Megan Healy, of Washington D.C., said. "We'll leave Friday morning and drive back Friday."

AAA says Sunday is set to be the busiest air travel day in this Thanksgiving stretch. Sunday is also expected to be the busiest day on the roads for drivers after the holiday.

At Union Station, travelers criss-crossed the great hall on their way to their holiday destinations, including Justin Ultes and Steven Folinas, two sophomores at Michigan State University.

"He wasn't going home for the holidays because flights are expensive, so I asked my mom if he could come home with me," Ultes said.

There were ground stops at Chicago O'Hare International Airport on Tuesday due to the weather, and travelers say they are keeping a close eye on that Saturday snow system.

AAA says trains are among the modes of transportation that are forecasted to have the largest increase in travelers compared to last year, followed by air travel, which is seeing a more than 3% increase.

Some good news for those hitting the road this holiday is that average gas prices are about the same as last year, with no significant increase.