Labor Day Travelers Hit Highways, Gas Prices Soar

About 2.35 million Southland residents are expected to travel during the Labor Day weekend beginning today and ending Monday, a 3.4 percent jump from last year, according to the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Of the Southland travelers, 1.85 million are expected to drive to their destinations, a 3.6 percent jump from last year, when 1.79 million people took to the roads, according to the Auto Club. About 306,000 people are expected to fly, up 4.1 percent from last year.

The top destinations for Southland Labor Day travelers are expected to be San Diego, Las Vegas, the Central Coast, San Francisco and the Grand Canyon.

“Travel interest and bookings have seen improvement compared with 2011,'' according to Filomena Andre, the Auto Club's vice president for travel products and services.

To find the cheapest gas in Glendora this Labor Day Weekend, visit our Commute page.

“Although gas prices are expected to be higher this holiday weekend than during other Labor Day weekends, we anticipate this to have very little impact on holiday travel, because most people have planned their trips and made reservations before the dramatic rise in gas prices. And fuel costs typically represent a fairly small percentage of the overall trip budget.''

Across the state, 3.79 million people are expected to travel for the holiday weekend, also a 3.4 percent jump from last year. Of those traveling, 2.99 million are expected to drive and 492,000 will fly, according to the Auto Club.

Across the nation, more than 33 million Americans are projected to travel at least 50 miles away from home.