Traveling For Labor Day, Summer's Last Hurrah? What To Know In MA

MASSACHUSETTS — Bay Staters trying to pack in one last trip before summer ends won't spend as much as they did last year. Flights, hotels and car rentals are all cheaper than they were at this time last year, according to AAA.

Domestic round-trip flights are 6 percent cheaper compared to last Labor Day weekend, according to AAA booking data. Hotel rates are down 11 percent, and car rental costs are 3 percent lower than they were last year.

The top domestic destinations this year are:

1. Seattle
2. Orlando, Florida
3. New York City
4. Boston
5. Anchorage
6. Chicago
7. Atlanta
8. Denver
9. Miami
10. Las Vegas

Here’s What You’ll Pay For Gas

Summer fuel prices have remained low, matching summer averages for 2021. As of Aug. 25, the average price for a gallon of gasoline was $3.06 in Massachusetts, compared to $3.37 last year.

AAA said gas prices have seen relatively few fluctuations this year, in large part because crude oil prices have remained steady. Barring a tropical storm or hurricane affecting Gulf Coast refineries, Labor Day gas prices should remain below what they were last year, the auto club said.

If you're traveling by car, when you leave matters.

It’s best to travel before noon throughout the five-day, Aug. 28-Sept. 1 holiday period, according to INRIX, a provider of transportation data and insights. Saturday is expected to be extra busy, with many people heading out of town for a three-day weekend or taking day trips. If you’re among them, plan on leaving before 10 a.m., AAA advises.

Best Times To Get Out Of Town

Here are the best and worst times to travel:

Thursday
Best travel time: before 1 p.m.
Worst travel time: 1-8 p.m.

Friday
Best travel time: before noon
Worst travel time: noon-8 p.m.

Saturday
Best travel time: 6-10 a.m.
Worst travel time: 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

Sunday
Best travel time: before 11 a.m.
Worst travel time: noon-5 p.m.

Monday
Best travel time: before noon
Worst travel time: 1-4 p.m.

Weather Travel Conditions

More good news for travelers is that the weather across southern New England is looking good for the weekend with no major storms, heat or humidity in sight.

After the cold front dropped dew points into the 40s overnight early Tuesday, that will continue through Thursday with sunny skies and highs each day in the 70s.

Friday brings the best chance of scattered showers and higher humidity this week with thunderstorms possible after 2 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. The high temperature on Friday is 77 degrees with showers lingering into Friday night.

Any rain should wrap up early on Saturday — setting the stage for a stunning weekend with a high of 73 degrees on Saturday, 76 degrees on Sunday and 75 degrees on Monday.

More Police On Highways

Also, expect to see an increased police presence on Massachusetts highways over the long weekend. Drunken driving crashes increase by as much as 40 percent during Labor Day Weekend, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which kicked off its annual Drive Sober or Get Pulled Over enforcement campaign earlier this month.

"Impaired driving is totally preventable, yet more than 12,000 people are killed each year because someone selfishly decides to drive under the influence," NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said at a kickoff event at the National Park Service’s Netherlands Carillon in Arlington, Virginia, on Aug. 12. "Law enforcement officers nationwide are joining us to help stop impaired drivers and save lives. Make the responsible choice ahead of Labor Day weekend and plan ahead — arrange for a sober ride home. Yours is not the only life at stake."

Nearly one-third of U.S. traffic fatalities involve drunken drivers with a blood-alcohol content at or above the legal limit of .08, NHTSA said. Men 18-34 are most likely to be impaired drivers, and the evening hours are the deadliest, with the chances of alcohol-impaired fatal crashes three times higher than during the day.

Also, the agency said, 41 percent of riders who died in single-motorcycle crashes in 2023 were alcohol impaired.

The safety campaign has a second component, "Drive High, Get a DUI," which reminds drivers that cannabis and other drugs impair their ability to drive safely and can result in an impaired driving charge.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)