AAA Travel projects 35.5 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Labor Day holiday weekend, the highest travel volume for the holiday since 2008 and a one percent increase over 2014. Locally, over 1 million New Jerseyans plan to celebrate the holiday with a final trip before summer comes to a close, with 84 percent going by car.

The Labor Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, September 3 to Monday, September 7. Historically, when the Labor Day weekend falls later in the calendar, Americans have shown less inclination to travel. As Labor Day falls on September 7, the latest possible day it can occur, the overall travel growth potential is dampened somewhat this year.

“While increasing travel volume is great news for the industry and economy, our survey shows a decidedly ‘un-laboring’ take on the Labor Day holiday,” says Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic “Many would rather spend the holiday at cookouts, relaxing, or simply at home to avoid heavy holiday traffic congestion or additional spending, especially if they have already taken a vacation this summer.”

Travel by Mode of Transportation:

Total Travelers
•New Jersey – 1,032,723, a 0.2% increase from 2014
•Nationally – 35,480,000, a 1% increase from Labor Day 2014

Automobile
•New Jersey – 869,771 (84% of travelers), a 0.3% increase from last year
•Nationally – 30,435,000 (86% of travelers), a 1.1% increase from 2014

Air
•New Jersey – 84,550 (8.2% of travelers), down 0.2% from those who flew in 2014
•Nationally – 2,640,000 (7.4% of travelers), up 1.5% from last year

Train, Bus, Watercraft or Other Mode
•New Jersey – 78,402 (7.5% of travelers), up 0.1% from 2014
•Nationally – 2,415,000 (6.8% of travelers), a decrease of 0.2% from last year.

Exclusive AAA Survey of Mid-Atlantic Residents (NJ, DE, PA, MD, VA, DC)

•Not laboring this Labor Day. Going to cookouts with family and friend, relaxing, or simply “catching up on things at home” will be the most popular activities, as 68 percent of respondents begin to make the transition from the lazy days of summer to the busy fall and winter months.

•Of those traveling, 63 percent will be staying one or more nights at their destination, while 35 percent will be taking day trips.

•Catching the waves. Fifteen percent are heading to the beach to catch their final summer waves.

•Of those not traveling, 24 percent said they already took a summer vacation and 23 percent said they don’t want to deal with traffic congestion.

•56 percent of survey respondents indicated that they did take a summer vacation this year, while 44 percent said they did not.

•Road Trips Rule: 71 percent of mid-Atlantic vacationers said they drove to their summer destinations.

•As the summer travel season comes to a close, an analysis of the top travel searches on AAA’s website for the mid-Atlantic region from Memorial Day through the third week of August, paints a picture of what was on the minds of local travelers.

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