For students going home this Thanksgiving, the next four days may seem more like a hassle than a vacation.

Congested traffic and minding manners over the next four days may take the fun out of the weekend.

From 6 tonight until midnight Sunday, is one of the busiest travel periods of the year, AAA Michigan said.

AAA Michigan reported 83 percent of Michigan travelers will use the roads this weekend. Air travel is down 7 percent from last year.

But Jim Rink, AAA Michigan spokesperson, said past events and trends have contributed to the decline in air travel.

“It is partly because people are apprehensive,” he said. “But the economy in general and the global economic slowdown has a big effect.”

Cynthia Snyder of Travel Michigan, said the state is usually heavily traveled during the Thanksgiving holiday.

“Expect Michigan highways to be busy Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday,” she said.

The hospitality industry is also expecting a decline in travelers. Rink said the number of people patronizing hotels is slightly lower this year, down 6 percent from last Thanksgiving.

Rink said students traveling home for the holiday weekend should avoid drinking and driving and get plenty of sleep the night before.

Education freshman Lindsay Havlick said she is avoiding the crowded roads by taking the train home to Naperville, Ill.

“It’s a hassle for my parents to come pick me up,” she said. “It’s cheaper too.”

Other students going home are planning around the traffic.

Human biology junior Melisa McDermott said she expects traffic to be bad because she is driving home Thursday morning.

“I don’t care that much about the hassle,” she said. “I would definitely leave earlier than normal.”

But once students get home, they may realize their school manners just don’t cut it.

Jennifer Bandlow, director of Adams’ Modeling & Finishing School, 2722 E. Michigan Ave. in Lansing, said the agency offers a finishing course for people trying to brush up on their business and personal etiquette, especially when celebrating the holiday away from home.

“If the time of the event is specifically noted, you should show up on time or early,” said Bandlow, an MSU alumna.

“When using flatware, you always work from the outside in. You would use your outermost fork for the main dish or salad.”

She also stressed guests should always keep their cellular phones and pagers off or silent.

“Good manners show respect for other people,” Bandlow said. “If you respect others, it shows you have respect for yourself.”

McDermott said she doesn’t consider her family’s Thanksgiving too formal, but considers herself to generally have good manners.

“I was raised to mind my ps and qs, but it depends who I am with,” she said. “If I am with my friends, I don’t follow the rules and be polite all the time.”

Economics junior Ryan Michalik said his family doesn’t get too formal for Thanksgiving.

“Its just like any other dinner.”