As most people finish work for the festivities, a lot of us head home to spend the special time with our families.

However, if you're heading home today then keep an eye out for travel updates as it is expected to be the busiest day of the year for travelling.

According to the AA today will be the "busiest day on the roads this festive season as Christmas journeys combine with regular commuter traffic".

Scroll down for audio

John Snowling, AA spokesman, said: “With Christmas falling on a weekend, many people will start their break from today, but almost a third of our members will be making their journey on Saturday and more than a fifth will be travelling on Christmas day to visit friends and family.

“On Friday, it’s likely to be very busy at peak times on the major routes as the Christmas getaway coincides with commuter traffic.

"Check the traffic reports before you leave and try to travel when it’s quieter or, if you have no choice, consider an alternative route to beat the jams."

Journeys will be made easier as Highways England are set to have more than 400 miles of roadworks across the country completed by Christmas.

Some of the schemes completed in Kent by Christmas include:

• M2 Junction 5 - 6 (near Sittingbourne)
  Carriageway strengthening
  10 mile(s) of roadworks completed for the Christmas and New Year Bank Holiday period.
• M25 Jn 5 - 4 (near Sevenoaks)
  Inspection/ Survey
  0.6 mile(s) of roadworks completed for the Christmas and New Year Bank Holiday period.
• DRC West Tunnel (near Dartford)
  Tunnel Maintenance
  1.6 mile(s) of roadworks completed for the Christmas and New Year Bank Holiday period.

Highways England operations director, Nick Harris said:“This Christmas bank holiday, we’re helping drivers with their journeys by clearing roadworks on most of our motorways and major A-roads.

“Our traffic officers will also be on patrol working to clear any incidents; the vast majority of which will be dealt with in under an hour.

“We’re asking people to be prepared before setting off. Make sure you have everything you need for your journey should there be any delays, check before and during your journey and also make sure you’re aware of the signs and signals on motorways.”

It is also being reminded for drivers planning to use the Dartford crossing to the Dart Charge in adnvance or by midnight the next day.

However, it's not just the roads that'll be busy today, and Network Rail are reminding passengers to check before they travel this Christmas.

This comes as Network Rail invests £11 million as part of its Rail Upgrade Plan in the southeast.

However, these works will mean delays for commuters.

David Statham, managing director of Southeastern Railway, said: “There will be changes to Southeastern trains over the festive period to accommodate improvement work taking place by Network Rail.

"We are encouraging passengers to check their journey before they travel and in particular we urge passengers to check the last trains on Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve.

"These, and all the details about station closures and the amended timetable is on our website."

Meanwhile, Eurostar are expecting to have their busiest December getaway season ever.

The high speed service between the UK and mainland Europe is set to welcome more than 368,000 people during the festive season, a 9% rise compared to the same period last year.

Despite today being expected to be the busiest for travelling generally, Eurostar are expecting their peak day on Friday, December 30.

However, the busiest departure from London is expected today for Eurostar, with more than 19,000 travellers expected to escape to the continent for a winter break.

So, if you're setting off home or for a festive break in the car, here's the AA's top travel advice:

• Plan your route in advance and allow plenty of time for the journey
• Check local traffic and weather reports – call AA Roadwatch by dialling 84322 (‘the AA’ on your mobile keypad) or 0906 88 84322 from your landline
• Travel when the roads are quieter
• If tired, stop and drink one or two cups of coffee or other caffeinated drink and take a short nap of no more than 15-20 minutes
• Pack the car safely being careful not to overload or obstruct vision
• Carry the essentials in case of a delay or breakdown, including personal medication, warm/ waterproof layers, food and water, a torch, a fully charged mobile phone and an atlas or sat-nav