“However, analysts expect the oil glut to continue through the rest of the year, preventing any major spikes in oil or gas prices.

Although this year’s holiday begins in September, AAA still expects more Labor Day travelers than last year, primarily due to low gas prices, solid income gains, rising household net worth, and an improving housing market”.

The post-recession travel boom will put more cars on the road than any time since 2008 as an estimated 35.5 million people set out for somewhere more than 50 miles from their home, according to the annual AAA survey for the weekend. Fifteen percent are heading to the beach for the holiday, AAA research found.

For those not traveling, 24 percent said they took a summer vacation and 23 percent said they want to avoid weekend traffic congestion. The survey, covering residents of Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Maryland, Virginia and D.C., finds that while about 33 percent still used printed maps, more than 55 percent say they use Global Positioning System.

Across the Southeast, those prices are the cheapest in a decade as Georgia’s average price is $2.31, which is $1.02 cheaper than the same period previous year.

The auto club predicted that 30.4 million of the anticipated Labor Day travelers will be driving to their holiday destinations. “We’re paying about 80 cents less than we were at this time previous year”, says Townsend. Both numbers are about the same as previous year.

As the summer travel season comes to a close, an analysis of the top travel searches on AAA’s website for the mid-Atlantic region from Memorial Day through the third week of August, paints a picture of what was on the minds of local travelers. Airfares are down one percent, with the average round-trip discounted fare for the top 40 U.S. routes costing $216, down from $219 previous year.