Roughly 53% of Americans planning to travel for Labor Day, survey finds

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — Americans last chance to sneak in a summer vacation is right around the corner and millions are planning to do so.

Earlier this month, The Vacationer released its annual 2022 Labor Day Travel Survey, which found that more than 53% of American adults plan to travel for Labor Day Weekend.

The roughly 53% of American adults planning to travel this Labor Day Weekend represents roughly 137 million travelers, according to the most recent Census data.

According to the survey, 35.5% of Americans plan to travel primarily by car, while 14.2% intend to travel by plane, and an additional 3.3% plan to travel using public transportation.

As is often the case, the country’s most senior of citizens, those above the age of 60, are the least likely to travel, with just 34.4% planning to do so.

The survey found that high gas prices seem to be affecting many Americans travel plans.

Americans have been dealing with inflated gas prices since early spring following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, with the national average reaching an all-time record of $5.01 per gallon in June.

A separate survey from AAA found that 64% of Americans have changed their driving habits since March in response to the increase in gas prices — the most common change is people are driving less, combining errands and reducing shopping or dining out.

Since the dramatic increase in spring, prices have been on a slow, steady decline, though prices currently remain well above what drivers had grown accustomed to in recent years.

Currently, the national average price for gas is $3.85 per gallon, which is 45 cents cheaper than it was a month ago, but still 71 cents more expensive than a year ago, according to AAA.

Roughly half of the Labor Day Travel Survey respondents, 50.2%, said the current high gas prices will affect their Labor Day travel plans, with 33.3% saying they will be affected because they plan to drive and 16.6% claiming that the high gas prices are affecting airfares.

“This figure is nearly identical to the number of people that said high gas prices will affect their Fourth of July travel plans. Therefore, even though gas prices have come down some in recent weeks, travelers are still feeling the crunch of the gas surge of the past year,” said Eric Jones of The Vacationer.