A Million New Jerseyans to Make Car Trips This Labor Day Weekend

If you are planning to take a trip this upcoming holiday weekend, pack your patience because you certainly will not be alone on the roads.

More than one million New Jersey residents (1,046,629) are expected to travel 50 miles or more from home, which is an increase of one percent compared to the 1,036,759 who traveled last year, according to AAA Mid-Atlantic.

While all modes of transportation are expected to see an increase, most New Jersey residents will be traveling by car.

"Eighty-four percent of travelers, or 881,013, will celebrate the holiday with a final road trip before summer comes to a close and children head back to school", said Tracy Noble, spokesperson for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

Gas prices have decreased dramatically in the last month and are down nearly 25 cents since Labor Day 2013.

"The one thing we need to keep in mind when we think about Labor Day travel is that so many kids are going back to school immediately following. So, sometimes families just take a long weekend to stay at home, regroup and get prepped to start the routine all over again," Noble said.

Travel by mode of transportation:

Total Travelers:

• New Jersey - 1,046,629, a 1 percent  increase from 2013
• Nationally - 34.7 million, a 1.3 prcent  increase from Labor Day 2013

Automobile:

• New Jersey - 881,013 (84 percent of travelers), a 1.1 percent increase from last year
• Nationally - 29.7 million (86 percent of travelers), a 1.4 percent increase from 2013

Air:

• New Jersey - 89,735 (8.6 percent of travelers), up 0.1 percent from those who flew in 2013
• Nationally - 2.6 million (8 percent of travelers), up 1 percent from last year

Train, Bus, Watercraft or Other Mode:

• New Jersey - 76,881 (7 percent of travelers), up 0.4 percent from 2013
• Nationally - 2.3 million (7 percent of travelers), an increase of 0.5 percent from last year.

"The weather outlook for Labor Day weekend is shaping up to be favorable for beach goers so it is not surprising that people will head to the Jersey Shore," Noble said. "We've had some nice weather leading up to the weekend so far, and I believe the warm weather will carry us through Saturday, possibly into Sunday.  So, I think people are looking forward to taking advantage of the warm weather and getting that last taste of the Jersey Shore before getting back to the daily routines."