Labor Day Travel In MA: Massachusetts A Top Travel Destination

MASSACHUSETTS — For many in New England, Labor Day weekend will be a time to hit the road for a long weekend before a bit of a holiday drought in the coming months. Apparently, people outside of the region will use the opportunity to make their way north.

According to a recent survey from AAA, their members are heading to New England at the fourth highest rate, behind only Orlando, Italy and Las Vegas.

For those traveling in the region, AAA suggests leaving early. For drivers, an early start should relieve them of most of the stress that comes with congested highways. They’ll feel little relief at the pump, however.

The average price of a gallon of gas dropped to about $4.06 this week, according to AAA. That’s down from $4.12 a week ago, and $4.48 at the end of July. However, gas cost about $3.05 per gallon this same time last year.

Except Connecticut (average price: $3.88), every New England state was hovering in the low $4 range for gas this week, which may make you think twice about holiday travel to popular end-of-summer destinations like the White Mountains, Maine coast and Cape Cod.

In Massachusetts, the cheapest gas was available in the Springfield, Northampton and Greenfield areas, where the average price of a gallon ranged from $3.71 to $3.91. Worcester, Berkshire and Essex counties were the next cheapest gas destinations.

The regional survey of AAA members found that 31 percent say they plan to travel for Labor Day weekend, but 49 percent won’t. Seventy percent of those surveyed said that inflation—including higher gas and airfare prices—played a role in their travel decisions.

Read more: Gas Prices Down In MA Ahead Of Labor Day Weekend

For those that plan to drive, there are ways to check on traffic on your route before you hit the road. In addition to mapping apps, the Massachusetts Department of Transportation provides real-time traffic updates and cameras for many routes.