More than 1 Million New Jerseyans Plan to Travel for an End-of-Summer Getaway

AAA Travel projects just over 1 million New Jerseyans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Labor Day holiday weekend, the highest volume for the holiday since 2008 and a one percent increase over 2013. More than 84 percent of travelers will celebrate the holiday with a final road trip before summer comes to a close and children head back to school.The Labor Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday, August 28 through Monday, September 1.

“As the economy makes modest gains, more Americans are joining the labor force this year,” Cathleen Lewis, Regional Director of Public Affairs and Government Relations in North Jersey said. “With Labor Day symbolizing the American workers’ contributions to the strength and prosperity of our country, it’s only fitting that millions are choosing to celebrate this positive direction with an all-American road trip.”

Travel by the Numbers:
Automobile
· New Jersey – 881,013 or 84.2 percent of all travelers, a 1.1 percent increase from one year ago.
· Nationally – 29.7 million or 86 percent of all travelers, 1.4 percent increase from 2013.
Air
· New Jersey – 88,735 or 8.5 percent of all travelers, a modest increase of 0.1 percent from 2013.
· Nationally – 2.654 million or 7.6 percent of all travelers, a one percent increase from last Labor Day weekend.
Train, Bus, Watercraft or Other Mode
· New Jersey – 76,881 or 7.3 percent of all travelers, a 0.4 percent increase from last year.
· Nationally – 2.319 million or 6.7 percent of all travelers, a 0.5 percent increase from 2013.

“This year, Americans are more optimistic about their financial situation,” Lewis added. “Consumer spending continues to outpace disposable income, indicating that Americans are comfortable using their credit cards to take one last summer vacation this year.”

Travelers likely to pay lower gas prices for Labor Day
Most U.S. consumers are paying the lowest gas prices for early August since 2010. AAA expects gas prices to have little impact on the number of people traveling for Labor Day, though lower prices could help make travel more affordable.
Barring a major development, such as a Gulf Coast hurricane, prices are likely to remain relatively low leading up to the holiday weekend compared to recent years, which will allow travelers to allocate more of their budgets towards travel expenses.

The current price of gas in New Jersey is $3.25 compared to $3.49 last Labor Day weekend. Nationally, the current price for a gallon of regular gas is $3.43, compared to $3.59 a year ago. AAA provides the latest gas prices for the nation, states and metro areas at FuelGaugeReport.AAA.com.

Planning a staycation for Labor Day weekend? Send us your photos by emailing Patch Editor, Emily Everson, at emily.everson@patch.com

Information courtesy of Cathleen Lewis, AAA