Labor Day weekend travel forecast—gas prices, best times to leave + more

The summer travel season is almost over—but there’s still one more weekend of summer fun before we all start sniffing pumpkin candles and pretending it’s not 100 degrees outside.

Labor Day weekend is upon us, and we have everything you need to know for the busy travel weekend from gas price trends to most popular destinations—plus some great news from ALDOT that’ll make your drive a little easier.

Gas prices

According to the national gas price tracker, GasBuddy, drivers will enjoy lower gas prices this holiday weekend, when compared to last year. Here’s a look at today’s average gas prices as we go into the holiday weekend:

• National: $3.33
• Alabama: $2.93

Those prices are about $0.50 lower than they were this time last year.

When to hit the road

For travelers hitting the roads this weekend, the best time to leave is early on Thursday or Friday. Any later and you run the risk of hitting some traffic. Here’s a breakdown of the best time to leave for your journey, according to Triple A and traffic monitoring company INRIX.

Thursday, August 29

• Best time: before 11AM
• Worst time: 1-7:30PM

Friday, August 30

• Best time: before noon, after 7PM
• Worst time: 2-6PM

Saturday, August 31

• Best time: after noon
• Worst time: 8-11AM

For your return journey, the same logic applies—you’ll want to leave earlier on Sunday or Monday to beat traffic.

Sunday, September 1

• Best time: before noon
• Worst time: 2-8PM

Monday, September 2

• Best time: before 10AM
• Worst time: 11AM-8PM

ALDOT lane closures

Some more good news for drivers this weekend, the Alabama Department of Transportation is also taking a holiday weekend, and ending all temporary lane closures for the busy travel period.

From noon on Friday through noon on Monday, all lanes along Alabama interstates that are currently closed will reopen for the busy holiday weekend to facilitate faster – and safer – travel.

“By suspending lane closures, we hope to make the journey safer and less stressful for everyone. Safety is a shared responsibility, and we urge all drivers to remain alert and follow traffic laws.”

Allison Green, Drive Safe Alabama coordinator

Top destinations for Labor Day 2024

Triple A estimates that overall travel is up about 9% this Labor Day, compared to international travel which is down about 4%. Those patterns seem to reflect costs, too as domestic travel costs are down 2%—while international prices have spiked 11%.

The top destination for Labor Day travelers is Seattle, which topped the list last year, too.

Here’s a list of other popular destinations for end-of-summer travel:

• Alaska (Anchorage + Juneau)
• Orlando
• New York
• Boston
• Las Vegas
• Denver
• Chicago
• San Francisco

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