Labor Day Travel

How Many More People Are Traveling in 2012 than 2011?

In total, AAA expects 33 million Americans to travel “at least 50 miles” during Labor Day weekend. This represents roughly 870,000 more travelers than 2011, or a 2.9% increase. In addition to a spike in the number of travelers, those travelers are expected to spend more this year, too. This year’s median expected trip cost is $749, up from $702 last year.

While the overwhelming majority (28.2 million) will opt to drive instead of fly, AAA projects air travel to rise 3.7% (fueled, in part, by a 4% reduction in airfares from 2011). All told, an estimated 2.55 million travelers will fly during the holiday, and another 2.3 million will use buses, rails, or cruise ships.

How Are Travelers Coping with High Gas Prices?

As CNN points out, the nationwide average per-gallon cost of gasoline is 14 cents higher ($3.71 as of Tuesday, August 21) than the same time period in 2011. Yet despite this, gasoline costs “are not expected to have a major negative impact” on the nation’s Labor Day travels. In addition, 66% of those surveyed by AAA said their “current financial outlook” would have no impact on their holiday plans, according to Fox Business.

Instead of foregoing travel, cash-strapped consumers plan to save money by skipping hotels, staying with family or friends, shortening their trips, driving fuel-efficient vehicles, or spending less on recreation during their travels. CNN clocks the average trip length at 626 miles, while noting that 54% of survey respondents plan on trips of 100-400 miles round trip.

Where Are the Most Popular Labor Day Destinations?

Recent data from Kayak.com offers telling insights into the most in-demand travel destinations this Labor Day:

“If you’re planning a flight, Las Vegas, New York, and Chicago are the top flight search destinations for Labor Day. Average clicked fares for travel to these destinations for the holiday weekend were $291, $300 and $254, respectively.”

Meanwhile, Kayak names Atlanta, Las Vegas, and New York as the most popular U.S. hotel destinations “by absolute search share rank, with hotels coming in at $183.74, $275.63, and $204.21, respectively.”

Ireland is the top international destination year-over-year, which, Kayak speculates, is largely due to the Notre Dame vs. Navy football game on September 1, 2012. In addition to Dublin, Paris and London are popular flight search destinations in Europe for Labor Day weekend. Average prices are $1,355.32, $1,071.24, and $1,200, respectively.

For Caribbean and Central American destinations, San Jose, Panama City, and Belize City are the most popular flight searches, with Belize City enjoying a 50% year-over-year increase in search share.

Kayak also points out that travelers can expect to save 8%-10% on average by postponing their travels until after the holiday weekend.

How do you plan to travel and save this Labor Day holiday?

Last-minute getaways may sound expensive, but cheap deals are there for the taking if you are willing to be flexible. Here are some tips.

Go with the flow. Whether you are flying, taking the train, or shipping out on a cruise, the more flexible you are with your travel plans, the better. Leave late at night or on a different day to get the cheapest flight. And if you are willing to go standby, or fly into a less popular city or airport, you can score big time. The same is true of cruises – if you cruise the web to find ads for last-minute vacancies, or travel “shoulder” times, before or after traditional summer and Christmastime rushes, you may find a vacation deal that costs less than staying home.

Embrace the web. Check your favorite internet travel sites, and check them often. Prices fluctuate from day to day and from city to city. But do your research and watch out for pitfalls. Sites like PriceLine.com and SkyAuction.com let you name your own price, but know the range available elsewhere so you don’t end up overpaying. On AirBnB.com, find a place to rent for just one night from a real person, for less.

Tweet for a sweet deal. Use Twitter’s search box to look for special discounts and coupons. Just enter a hashtag (#) followed by your destination and the word discount (for example “#Miamidiscounts”. Or enter “@” followed by your airline hub’s three letter code (for example, “@LAX”) to locate deals near you. Also, follow travel deals sites like @TravelZoo on Twitter for up-to-the-minute deals.

Travel solo. If you are looking for a single ticket on an airline or to an event, you’ll find it easier to nab a deal. You can make arrangements to meet your friends at the destination, even though you won’t be sitting together.

Call ahead. You’ll find some good hotel deals by calling ahead and calling around. Don’t just arrive with your baggage in the hotel lobby, since clerks will quote you higher prices since they know you don’t want to schlep those bags all over town.

Go off-season and off-beat. Visiting a summer attraction in the winter or a ski resort in the summer will save big bucks in lodging and meals. Or stay nearby your destination, not right in town. Camping out will trim your costs, and you can save on meals by packing a lunch and enjoying a picnic. If you splurge on a meal at a well-known restaurant, go for lunch instead of dinner or enjoy the early bird special to cut the tab by up to 40%.

Free works for me. There are many free attractions wherever you go, and many inexpensive ones as well. A hootenanny or a free concert in the park, a walking tour or nature walk, all can make for a pleasant afternoon. At historic destinations such as Washington DC, Philadelphia and Boston you’ll find that many of the great attractions are free.

Above all, enjoy the hunt. Traveling cheap is a game, so take pleasure in the experience. If you miss one deal, don’t fret, there’s another one around the corner.