Seasonal & Holidays

Labor Day Travel Expected to Increase Slightly in the Golden State

About 4 million travelers are expected to get away this holiday weekend. The top destinations include San Diego and San Francisco.

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More people are expected to travel this Labor Day weekend, according to the AAA Travel and the Automobile Club of Southern California.

About 4 million Californians are expected to hit the road this weekend, compared to 3.99 million last year -- an increase of 1 percent.

Of those, 3.2 million are estimated to drive -- also an increase of 1 percent compared to 2014 -- and 560,000 are expected to fly, with 240,000 going by other means.

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Part of the reason for the increase is the decrease in gas prices, said Filomena Andre, the Auto Club’s vice president for travel products and services.

“With Labor Day occurring on its latest possible date of Sept. 7, we were unlikely to see a huge increase in travel compared to last year because most schools will have been in session for at least a week,” she said. “But dropping gas prices will give those who do travel some more flexibility in their getaway budgets.”

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Gas prices have been dropping throughout Southern California, with prices at 25 to 35 cents lower than what it was this this time last year. More stations in Southern California are also posting prices below $3 a gallon, according to AAA.

Nationally, more than 35.5 million Americans are projected to travel at least 50 miles away from home during the holiday period between Thursday and Monday.

The top destinations for California Labor Day travelers, according to a survey of the Auto Club’s AAA Travel agents, are:

  1. San Diego
  2. Las Vegas
  3. San Francisco
  4. Central Coast
  5. Grand Canyon

--Photos via Shutterstock and Virgin America

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