ORLANDO, Fla. — Elizabeth Smock and her family enjoy traveling — just not on Thanksgiving.

"We get to choose where and when we go. We don't have to worry about all the crowds,” she said.

Smock lives close to the Orlando International Airport, and it comes as no surprise to her that Orlando is projected to be the number one travel destination in the nation this Thanksgiving holiday.

"I've been watching the planes coming over. They are seriously landing them every two minutes, it seems like. They are coming in so fast.  And I can sit there on my back porch and watch them, and think 'Wow, I don't have to be in that mess!'"

Smock may not be travelling, but thousands of you are. The question is: When should you leave and when should you come back?

Google Maps used data from last year to project when the best times and the worst times are to use the roads around the Thanksgiving holidays in the Orlando area.  If you must travel during the daylight hours, the BEST time to travel is around 6 AM Thanksgiving morning. Check out different cities and travel times here.

If you don't mind the cover of darkness, then Wednesday morning around 3 a.m. was the best time to commute. Keep that in the bank for next year.

For that all-important return trip, the best time is at 4 a.m. Friday morning, or during daylight hours around 6 a.m. Sunday morning.

According to Google Maps, the worst time to travel back home is Friday afternoon around 3 p.m.

Google Maps tells drivers to treat Black Friday the same as you would for a typical Friday morning commute.

As for Smock, Black Friday is another time for her and her family to avoid big crowds.

"I started a tradition as soon as we came into town here in Orlando that I would take the kids out to a playground or city park, or a county park, or something just to enjoy the outdoors on Black Friday,” she said.