CHICAGO — There’s still family, turkey and football, but one Thanksgiving tradition is taking a hit this year.

Millions of Americans are spending the holiday at home, saying the poor economy has made it unaffordable to hit the road or board a plane.

“It’s too expensive,” said Benita Hall, 24, a nurse’s aide who can’t afford to travel from Cincinnati to Atlanta to see her mother and siblings. “It’s depressing because you want to be with your family for the holidays.”

Nearly 38 million people are expected to take trips this year, slightly more than last year but 20 million fewer than in 2005 when the economy was better, according to AAA auto club. Air travel is expected to drop 6.7 percent this holiday compared with last year, AAA said.

While shopping for food for her holiday meal, Spring Clarke of Lubbock, Texas, said she couldn’t afford to travel to Austin to be with family this Thanksgiving. Gas for the 740- mile road trip would take money she can’t spare.

“A hundred and sixty dollars is a phone bill, it’s most of our electric bill,” Clarke noted. “I’m not going home because of the economy. Can’t do it.”

Among those who are traveling, many are opting for cheaper alternatives to flying amid a sour economy that is still hitting household budgets hard.

Curt Label of Richmond, Maine, loaded his wife and two kids into their truck at 4 a. m. to start their 600-mile journey to his sister’s home in Lorton, Va.

“To fly, the cost is probably $1,200,” Label said as his family was stopped at a service plaza along the New Jersey Turnpike. “We’re driving for $200.”

Most people have calculated that travel by car often makes the most financial sense, said Alan Pisarski, a leading transportation analyst. About 33 million people are expected to travel by car this Thanksgiving, according to AAA.

Airlines had been depending on holiday travelers more than usual because travel has been so weak the rest of the year, said analyst Hunter Keay.

Train ridership was predicted to get a holiday boost, with Amtrak expecting Wednesday to be its busiest travel day of the year. Amtrak said its Thanksgiving eve ridership could reach 125,000 passengers, up from approximately 74,000 on a typical Wednesday.