For many, it’s the last trip of summer. The big weekend before many schools ring bells to recall students. What of Labor Day (Sept. 2) weekend travel? If you’re readying for an RV road trip, here’s AAA’s take on it.
Labor Day travel—Roadways better than cruise lines!
RVing will certainly be less crowded than folks headed out of Seattle for Alaska on a cruise line. According to AAA booking data, Seattle is the number one Labor Day weekend destination, up nearly 30% from last year when it also topped the list. Anchorage and Juneau are also on the top ten list of Labor Day destinations. Want to go? Too late! All Labor Day weekend cruises are sold out.
So what about RVers? What kind of road conditions and traffic jams should you expect? Labor Day travel sounds like it might be a bit tougher than last year, if hotel bookings are any indicator. According to AAA booking data, overall domestic travel over Labor Day weekend is up 9% compared to last year. At the same time, the cost to travel domestically is down 2%.
Top Labor Day destinations, aside from Seattle which is #1, include Orlando, New York, Boston, Las Vegas, Denver, Chicago, and San Francisco. For many families, Labor Day is the last hurrah before school begins.
Getting a break on fuel prices
And what about Labor Day travel costs? 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.
Avoid these travel hours!
Want to head out with your motorhome or fiver for the big weekend? Here’s the rundown on when to avoid heavy traffic. INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights, says motorists should avoid the afternoon and early evening hours of Thursday and Friday. 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 road 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.”
A portion of a AAA news release was used in this story.
##RVT1171b
Thank you, Russ and Tina! Well, we will be in it a bit, it appears. We leave Thursday of next week, probably at 10:30 or 11 AM heading to Nashville. Benefit (?) is we’ll be going from EDT to CDT. We may be okay on the back end because we head home on Tuesday, late morning. Thanks for the information! Have a great day, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂
Make that Wednesday. DW has an appointment on Thursday, so we are traveling a day earlier than originally planned. 🙂 Thanks again, have a great weekend, safe travels, and safe stays! 🙂