Traveling for Labor Day weekend? Here’s what to expect

AUSTIN (KXAN) — Packing your bags for a three-day weekend getaway? As you’re crossing T’s and dotting the I’s of your Labor Day agenda, you may want to be informed and brace for what traveling over the holiday weekend will be like.

Luckily, organizations like the American Automobile Association (AAA) and Allstate have released travel data and trends to help prepare vacationers.

“Labor Day marks the end of summer travel and offers one last opportunity for a holiday getaway before the fall season begins,” AAA Texas Corporate Communications Manager Doug Shupe said in a press release.

According to AAA, flights, hotels, and car rentals are cheaper this Labor Day weekend for domestic travelers compared to last year.

Domestic round-trip flights are 6% cheaper than last year, averaging $720 a ticket, per AAA. Booking data from AAA also shows hotel rates are 11% lower and car rental costs are 3% cheaper compared to Labor Day 2024.

As for international travel, airfare is 8% more expensive this year, but hotels are 2% cheaper.

AAA’s Top Labor Day Weekend Destinations:

Domestic: Seattle • Orlando • New York • Boston • Anchorage • Chicago • Atlanta • Denver • Miami • Las Vegas
International: Vancouver • Rome • Dublin • London • Paris • Amsterdam • Barcelona • Athens • Edinburgh • Lisbon

AAA’s best and worst times to travel by car:

Date	Best Travel Time	Worst Travel Time
Thursday, Aug. 28:	Before 1 p.m.	1-8 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 29:	Before 12 p.m.	12-8 p.m.
Saturday, Aug. 30:	6-10 a.m.	10 a.m. – 6 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 31:	Before 11 a.m.	12-5 p.m.
Monday, Sept. 1:	Before 12 p.m.	1-4 p.m.

Houston’s peak congestion period is expected on the evening of Thursday, Aug. 28, along the Galveston to Houston route via I-45 N. AAA predicts a 54% increase in congestion compared to a typical day.

To get travel trends for Labor Day weekend, AAA said it looked at booking data for Aug. 28 through Sept. 1, and compared those numbers with booking data for that same five-day period in 2024.  

Allstate also released a travel forecast for the holiday weekend, but used a different method. The insurance company analyzed how Americans drive.

Allstate anticipates the following cities will see the greatest increase in out-of-state drivers over the holiday weekend: Austin, San Antonio, Nashville, Colorado Springs, and Las Vegas.

Slowdowns are anticipated in the following major metros, according to Allstate:

• Atlanta: I-85, I-75, I-20
• Houston: I-10, I-45
• Chicago: I-90, I-94
• Philadelphia: I-95
• Dallas: U.S. 75

Allstate’s best and worst times to travel predictions are similar to AAA’s. The insurance company anticipates that the best times to travel will be Saturday, Sunday and Monday during the morning hours, from 7-11 a.m., and the worst times will be Wednesday through Tuesday afternoons, between 3-7 p.m.