The 10 most popular Labor Day hot spots, best times to travel by car, according to AAA

Posted by Admin August 20, 2024 Travel

Still figuring out how to spend your Labor Day weekend? Well, if you’re thinking about hitting the road for a last-minute getaway to close out the summer, you might want to see this.

Just like the Memorial Day traffic this year, overall domestic travel during the Labor Day weekend is expected to increase by 9% as opposed to last year, whether it’s by car or flying, according to a study by AAA.

Where are people traveling to this coming Labor Day weekend? Let’s take a look.

Top 10 Labor Day weekend destinations

According to the study by AAA, these are the top ten Labor Day destinations:

Seattle
Orlando, Florida
Anchorage, Alaska
New York City
Boston
Las Vegas
Denver
Chicago
Juneau, Alaska
San Francisco

The best and worst times to travel by car

If you’re planning a road trip for Labor Day, it’s good to keep in mind the best time to get the show on the road.

According to INRIX, if you plan to travel on Thursday and Friday before Labor Day, you should begin traveling in the morning and avoid the afternoon and early evening hours, as the roads tend to be crowded.

If you’re going to leave on Saturday, the best time to leave is in the afternoon. When you return from your trip on Sunday or Labor Day, leaving as early as possible is best to avoid severe traffic jams.

Gas prices will be lower this Labor Day weekend

If you are taking a road trip, you will likely be paying less for gas this Labor Day weekend than you did last year.

The average gas price per gallon last year was $3.81—and this year, it should be around $3.50.

Alaska cruises are really popular during Labor Day weekend

Many Americans visited Alaska by cruise this summer—it’s become a popular domestic destination during the hot weather.

At this point, it’s probably too late to book a Labor Day trip to Alaska. Experts say if you want to take a cruise to Alaska for next year’s Labor Day, now’s a good time to book because prices are exemplary.

International travel is less popular than last year

International travel during the Labor Day weekend is not as popular as domestic travel for Americans this year.

Per the study, international travel is down by 4%, while the cost to travel internationally went up by 11% from 2023. Eight out of 10 cities for international travel booked through AAA are in Europe (Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and Mexicali, Mexico, were the other two not in Europe).