BUFFALO, N.Y. — As the unofficial end of summer approaches, AAA is preparing travelers for what they can expect with their travels over the holiday weekend.
Travel for Labor Day weekend is up with AAA seeing a 4% increase in domestic bookings and a 44% increase with international bookings when compared to last year.
“Most travelers will leave on Thursday or Friday to take advantage of the long holiday weekend,” said Paula Twidale, Senior Vice President of AAA Travel.
“Domestically, the Pacific Northwest, big cities like New York and Denver, and tourist hotspots like Orlando and Las Vegas are the most popular. Internationally, it’s all about Europe and Canada.”
Those popular international destinations include Vancouver, Rome, London, Dublin, and Paris. Canada is particularly popular this time of year because of its cooler temperatures and great scenery. Europe has been a popular vacation spot all year.
Particularly popular domestically are cruises out of Florida. Bookings are up almost 20% from last year, according to AAA.
For those driving to vacation spots, the price of gas is very similar to what it was last year.
If you are hitting the road, AAA says to expect Thursday afternoon and most of Friday to be the busiest travel days by car.
“The best times to travel by car over Labor Day weekend are early in the morning or in the evening,” said Bob Pishue, transportation analyst at INRIX. “If you must travel during heavy traffic, navigation apps and local departments of transportation can help steer drivers around long delays.”
Here are the best and the worst times to travel by car over Labor Day weekend:
- Wednesday - The worst times to travel are between noon and 8 p.m. The best time is before 7 a.m.
- Thursday - The worst times to travel are between noon and 8 p.m. The best time is before 7 a.m.
- Friday - The worst times to travel are between 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. The best time is before 11 a.m.
- Saturday - The worst times to travel are between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. The best time is to travel after 6 p.m.
- Sunday - minimal traffic is expected
- Monday - worst times to travel are between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. The best time to travel is after 7 p.m.
“Post-pandemic, more travelers are recognizing the benefit of protecting their investment in case of trip interruption, whether it’s illness or a canceled flight,” Twidale said.
“We’re also seeing demand for longer stays, especially now when many people have the option to work remotely from their destination.”