Road trip ready: AAA provides essential travel tips for Labor Day Weekend

Road trip ready: AAA provides essential travel tips for Labor Day Weekend.

This year’s record-breaking, blockbuster summer travel season comes to a close during the Labor Day holiday weekend. Although AAA does not conduct a full travel forecast for the holiday it does have a series of trends and tips for travelers, and if you’re staying around Colorado, know that we are a top destination.

“Americans see the extended Labor Day weekend as an opportunity to say farewell to summer with one final trip,” said Debbie Haas, Vice President of Travel for AAA – The Auto Club Group. “Since many kids are already back in school, regional road trips tend to be the most popular option for families. Because of that, others see this as an opportunity to travel the world, with the expectation of smaller crowds at popular sites.”

Overall, domestic travel over Labor Day weekend is up 9% compared to last year, while the cost to travel domestically is down 2%.

Travelers taking road trips should expect to pay less for gas compared to last year. The national average over Labor Day weekend in 2023 was $3.81. In recent weeks, gas prices have remained steady, hovering around $3.50. Despite the popularity of summer road trips, overall gas demand is down as daily driving habits have changed post-pandemic, preventing pump prices from spiking. Hurricanes hitting the Gulf and affecting regional refineries could cause gas prices to go up as the peak of the season approaches in September. For drivers taking road trips in their electric vehicles, AAA now offers information on the cost of Level 2 commercial EV charging and updates that data weekly.

International travel over Labor Day weekend is down 4% compared to last year, per AAA booking numbers. Contributing factors include inflation, which has driven up international travel costs by 11%, and timing with many people having taken international summer vacations. The majority of people who did book international Labor Day trips with AAA are visiting European destinations. Eight out of the top ten international destinations booked through AAA are European cities.

Here are the top destinations this Labor Day Weekend according to AAA>

Domestic

Seattle, WA

Orlando, FL

Anchorage, AK

New York, NY

Boston, MA

Las Vegas, NV

Denver, CO

Chicago, IL

Juneau, AK

San Francisco, CA

International

Vancouver, BC, Canada

Rome, Italy

London, England

Paris, France

Dublin, Ireland

Amsterdam, Netherlands

Barcelona, Spain

Athens, Greece

Mexicali, Mexico

Edinburgh, Scotland

INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, says car travelers should avoid the afternoon and early evening hours of Thursday and Friday, as those times will be the most congested. Drivers should hit the road in the morning unless they’re leaving on Saturday when the best time to travel by car is in the afternoon. Travelers returning on Sunday and on Labor Day should leave as early as possible to avoid heavy traffic in the afternoon.

“Drivers should expect the most severe traffic jams before the holiday weekend as commuters mix with travelers,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “Monitoring traffic apps, local news stations, and 511 traveler information services may help drivers navigate around congestion and reduce driver frustration this Labor Day.”

Related:

How to navigate Denver International Airport this record breaking Labor Day Weekend.

When to see best fall colors in Colorado