DENVER, Colo. -- AAA Colorado projected fewer people will be taking to the roads and skies this year for Thanksgiving.

The latest travel forecasts call for a slight decline in Thanksgiving travel, said Wave Dreher, a spokesperson for AAA Colorado.

“I think people are being economically cautious this year,” Dreher told 7NEWS Friday.

Travel by residents in the Western region (including Colorado) is forecast to be down 2.3 percent compared to Thanksgiving 2007, with 8.8 million travelers expected to travel more than 50 miles from home, according to information released this week by AAA.

Travel by auto in the Western region is forecast at 6.9 million travelers, a decrease of 2.9 percent from the previous year. The number may increase if gas prices continue to decline. Auto travelers expect that 25 percent of their trip expenditures will be for gasoline, the release also stated.

Frustrations with increased airfares and fees, fewer flight choices and fuller planes are reflected in lower numbers of air passengers over Thanksgiving. Forecasts are for 1.2 million passengers for the Western region, down 5.5 percent from last year, Dreher said.

Lakewood mom Karen Voss and her husband plan to spend Thanksgiving at home with their two children instead of flying to Florida to see relatives.

“It was a hard decision,” Voss said, adding the cost of plane tickets in October and uncertainty with the economy were major factors.

“When things are this unpredictable, you just need to keep it close,” Voss said.

Last minute air travelers may find jet setting deals in the days leading up to Thanksgiving.

Travel agent John Gravage said his office booked a flight Friday to New York on what is usually the busiest travel day, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, for $500 – down from $2,000.

“(The airlines) goal is to fill every seat on the aircraft and they’ll do anything they can to so that. Sometimes that means throwing a deal out there,” said Gravage, who is general manager of Unbridled Travel.

Even with lower gas prices, travel experts expect consumers to play it safe.

“People are wondering if they’re going to have a job in a couple of months. It may be time to scale back and watch the pennies more,” Dreher said.