Freezing drizzle and icy travel conditions through Friday morning

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It’s been a busy week for thousands of people traveling for the Christmas holiday. People journeyed near and far — using all means of travel to reach their destinations.

Our reporters bring us stories of challenges and joy as people travel long distances to reunite with loved ones for the holidays:

At the Minneapolis Greyhound Bus Station a few days before Christmas, Christina Carroll is just passing through. The 23-year-old is going home to Detroit. But her travel journey started in Fargo. She’s a student there, studying early childhood education. 

Carroll is also traveling with her two kids.

“My kids, they know how to, you know, chill out. And long as I keep them entertained, they do pretty good. They like being on the go, so it’s not hard at all,” she said.

Christian, who is five, holds his baby sister’s hand. They’re finally lining up after three hours waiting in the station. 

“I’m going to my grandma house,” Christian said. He’s got a big agenda once they get to their destination: “Play with the toys. Eat some eat some cereal.”

Carroll said she opted for a bus ticket because it’s more affordable. Her daughter rode free and it cost about $400 for her and her son together. That was cheaper than the cost of flying. 

It’s about 9 p.m. and they’re on hour eight of travel. There are 18 more hours to go and two more transfers before they get to Detroit the following afternoon. 

“I’m so used to it that it don’t bother me. Like, you know, it’s just a routine thing,” she said. “But I would rather fly. Yeah, I would rather fly.”

When the bus pulls out, a couple hangs back, seated in the corner. They’re sprawled out —deck of cards, two guitars, snack wrappers — because they’re going to be here for a while. 

Their travel plans got derailed by winter roads.

“In between Chicago and here we had ice sheets, and I wake up and the bus is slipping sideways down the road, yeah. And so the bus driver slowed it down and kept it about 10 miles an hour for like four hours,” John Bowe said. 

He and his girlfriend Julia Miller ended up missing the connecting buses and won't be able to get back home to Oregon until later this week. “Guess we’re gonna crash here for Christmas,” he said. 

Bowe works in construction management. The latest job had him in Fulton, Iowa, but now that it’s over he’s headed back home to see his family who he hasn’t seen for several months. That includes his grandma, who is 102 years old.

“I was really planning on surprising her, I haven’t seen her in months,” Bowe said. 

The couple has been together for 6 months and Miller said this Christmas was supposed to include meeting family.

“Hopefully we’ll be able to, you know, make it there, like late, than never. You know, I’m excited to meet her,” Miller said. 

They both paid about $400 for tickets. “That was like all the cash I had. So down to 58 bucks in my account,” he said. 

In the meantime, the couple stays posted up at the Greyhound station, waiting to hear back about a reimbursement or hotel voucher, so they can stay someplace else.

At Union Depot in St. Paul, there’s a line of people waiting to board the sold-out Borealis train that’s on its way to Chicago.

Rob Hendrickson and his brother Matt are heading home to Red Wing by train because it’s a quick ride and the first stop on the rail corridor.

“It’s low stress, it’s cheaper and it’s faster. So, I can’t really argue with that,” he said. 

They’re spending Christmas with family and are looking forward to the scenic ride. 

“It takes you places you don’t normally go. So yeah, you’re like, near the river, and you get to see some of the wetlands, and it’s beautiful,” Rob Hendrickson said. 

The Great River Rail Commission said there are more seats filled on the Borealis line than most other Amtrak services. MnDOT reported that train capacity was at 97 percent in July.

Ridership is lower than last year though because some passenger cars were replaced in March.

Anna Haecherl traveled from St. Paul to western South Dakota to visit family. She stopped at a gas station off of I-90 in Blue Earth to bring us this report:

“The weather’s been great, and the roads have been clear so far, and traffic has been relatively light. So the gas here is about $2.75, a little bit more than what’s in the Cities. I think we saw our lowest prices around Northfield,” she said. 

If you’re hitting the road this holiday week, you’ll find gas prices falling in Minnesota. But there’s a big difference in what you’ll pay at the pump across the state. In general, gas prices are trending down in Minnesota and across the country. 

The average price in Minnesota is now below $2.70 a gallon, down more than a nickel over the past week. It’s about 25 cents a gallon lower than a month ago, and 20 cents below the average prices seen at this time last year.

“Well, I’m hopping back in my car, and the wife and I will continue our drive with our dog off to South Dakota. I think we’ve got, oh, about seven more hours left,” Haecherl said. 

— Anna Haecherl with reporting from Andrew Krueger

The Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport was already busy by sunrise on Tuesday morning, with bag check lines snaking through Terminal 1. 

Mark Pace grabbed his luggage at baggage claim, where he and his wife had a quick break in their travels from Knoxville, Tenn. Their kids are taking them from MSP to Duluth. 

Pace said it’s been smooth traveling so far. He even had time to kill at the airport, so he sat down at the open piano in baggage claim to tap out some carols.

Pace is a retired organist and choir director.

“So this is my first year not having to play for a church, so if there's a piano I'm gonna play it,” he said. 

Some flyers linger to listen, before they hustle on to baggage carousels. Pace is one of many travelers coming through the airport this season.

The airport commission expects more than 763,000 people to pass through security between Dec. 19 and Jan. 5. Add in connections and arrivals, and that makes for about 1.8 million travelers total. That’s about a 4 percent increase over last year's holiday travel.

Pace said it’s worth weathering the busy travel season to spend time with his family.

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It’s been a busy week for thousands of people traveling for the Christmas holiday. Our reporters talked to people journeying near and far — using all means of travel to reach their destinations.

Planes, trains and automobiles: A snapshot of 2025 holiday travel in Minnesota

Airline passengers and an airplane captain passing through

Planes, trains and automobiles: A snapshot of 2025 holiday travel in Minnesota

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