As summer winds down, many Americans are heading out of town. AAA booking data for flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises shows Labor Day weekend travel is up over last year: domestic bookings are up 4% and international bookings are up 44%.

Drivers taking road trips this Labor Day weekend will likely see gas prices similar to last year. The national average for a gallon of regular was $3.78 on Labor Day 2022. In North Carolina the current average is $3.54 a gallon, almost exactly the same as last year at this time.

This summer, gas prices spiked in July because of tight supply and the high cost of oil. The beginning of August brought some relief, but as hurricane season heats up, so did concerns about higher gas prices heading into Labor Day weekend.

INRIX, a global provider of transportation data and insights, expected the busiest times on the roads to be Thursday and Friday. Officials say Labor Day weekend travel could exceed pre-pandemic levels, with the highest number of travelers possible since 2019.