Americans planning a Labor Day getaway should prepare for higher travel costs and heavier traffic, according to a new holiday travel outlook from AAA. AAA booking data shows strong demand for travel during the September 3-7 Labor Day period, with Atlanta ranking 10th among the nation’s most popular domestic destinations. Seattle tops the domestic list, followed by Orlando, Boston, Denver and New York. Travelers are paying more for several parts of their vacations this year. Average domestic roundtrip airfare is 2% higher than last year at about $750, while flights to the most popular domestic destinations are nearly 20% higher, averaging about $790. Domestic hotel costs are up 9%, while international hotel bookings are 12% more expensive. One bright spot is international airfare, which is down 4%, while cruises departing from U.S. ports are about 4% cheaper. Motorists traveling from Chattooga County and Northwest Georgia are also facing substantially higher gasoline prices than they did last Labor Day. AAA’s latest figures show Georgia regular gasoline averaging about $3.80 per gallon, compared with approximately $2.89 on Labor Day 2025. In the Rome market, which includes much of the immediate Northwest Georgia area, regular gasoline was averaging about $3.73 per gallon Thursday. Nationally, regular gasoline is around $4.09 per gallon. AAA says August is on track to become the most expensive August on record at the pump, with the national average remaining above $4…
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