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 a chunk of change 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.

Gregory Hudson was going to head to his father's place in Greenville, Miss. _ until he considered travel costs. The 51-year-old hotel doorman said he'll roast a turkey for a few friends and family at his own home in Chicago instead.

"The Thanksgiving spirit's there," Hudson said. "But with the food so expensive we'll be cutting back on the size of the turkey and trimmings."

In Louisiana, Pearl Miller also was scaling back the size of her Thanksgiving dinner, leaving a New Orleans grocery store carrying only an aluminum roasting pan and one bag of canned goods.

"Usually more family comes from all over, but this year we're only doing Christmas," she said. "Money is just too tight."

Miller cleans houses for a living, but lost two of her customers in the last year. Last week she bought a turkey, which she planned to cook Thursday for her daughter and three grandchildren.