Gas prices not expected to impact Labor Day travel

AAA Travel projects 33 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home during the Labor Day holiday weekend, a 2.9 percent increase from the 32.1 million people who traveled last year.

The total number of 2012 Labor Day holiday travelers is expected to reach a new post-recession high, according to the AAA/IHS Global Insight 2012 Labor Day Holiday Travel Forecast.

Apparently travelers are not suffering from sticker shock at gas stations.

Approximately 28.2 million people (85 percent of holiday travelers) will make their Labor Day holiday journey by automobile, considered the most convenient mode of travel for many Americans. This is a 3.1 percent increase over the 27.3 million people who took to the nation’s roadways in 2011.

According to AAA Fuel Gauge Report, gasoline futures have spiked by 19 percent in the last two months. This has translated into a 7.2 percent increase at the pump. And don’t expect things to getter soon because pump prices take several weeks to catch up to futures.

A survey of intended travelers found that 66 percent said their current financial situation would not negatively impact their Labor Day holiday weekend travel plans. Of the remaining 34 percent of travelers who said their current finances would impact their travel plans, 21 percent will economize in other areas, 9 percent are planning to take a shorter trip, and the remaining 4 percent will travel by an alternate mode of transportation.

 — Lake Tahoe News staff report