More cars are expected to hit the road this Labor Day weekend despite gas prices being higher than usual and a still struggling economy. People are ready to get away over the holiday weekend.
AAA is predicting that 33 million Americans will be traveling more than 50 miles from home by car or plane over Labor Day weekend from Aug. 30 and Sep. 3. This shows a 2.9 percent increase from last year and it is the largest number of travelers since 2008.
Of the 33 million travelers, 28.2 million will be driving, which is a 3.1 percent increase from 2011. The other 2.55 million will take to the skies, which is a 3.7 percent increase from last year.
''In the absence of strong economic growth that might fuel a significant boost in travel volume, it is an encouraging sign that Americans continue to prioritize travel,'' Bill Sutherland, vice president of AAA Travel Services said in a statement. ''Travel is still within America's discretionary spending budget.''
These predictions were determined based on a survey of 50,000 U.S. households. The survey also found that 66 percent of respondents said their current financial situation will not have a negative impact on their plans for Labor Day weekend. Twenty-one [ercent said they'll cut costs from other parts of their budget, nine percent will take a shorter trip, and four percent will cut transportation costs.
Drivers will be seeing high prices at the pump over the holiday weekend. The average price for a gallon on gas is $3.72, up 40 cents from July 1. However this price is still 22 cents lower than its peak in April. Prices won't be dropping anytime soon. By Labor Day weekend, the average price per gallon could rise to $3.75
