More people are expected to hit the road for Labor Day this year, with Triple A predicting a nearly 10 percent increase in travel.
AAA expects a 9.9 percent spike in the number of Americans traveling this Labor Day holiday weekend compared to 2009. About 34.4 million people are expected to travel at least 50 miles from home. That's up from 31.3 million people last year.
"While reports on the state of the U.S. economy are mixed, many are still interested in taking one more trip as the summer travel season come to a close," said Tom Chestnut, President/CEO of AAA Western and Central New York. "It is encouraging to see more Americans planning to travel to visit family, friends and exciting vacation destinations."
Most people are expected to travel by car with 31.4 million people, or 91 percent, hitting the roads. That's an increase of 10.3 percent from last Labor Day weekend when 28.5 million people traveled by car.
Not as many people will take to the skies, with about 1.62 million people expected to fly somewhere. That's still an increase over last year of 4.6 percent.
Others will travel by train, bus or boat.
If you're driving, expect to pay between $2.65 and $2.75 a gallon over the weekend. That's the average price predicted for self-serve regular gas. The national average today stands at $2.70. Here in New York, we pay a bit more at $2.86 a gallon. Central New Yorkers currently shell out about $2.80 a gallon.
If you're flying, expect to pay a bit more, up 9 percent from last year, with the lowest round-trip rates up to $179.
And that's not the only way you'll be forced to dig deeper into your pockets. AAA says weekend car rental rates will increase 7 percent to an average of $46 a day.
Median spending is predicted to be about $697 over the holiday, nearly $50 more than last year.
