This holiday weekend marks the unofficial end of summer.
As the dog days of summer wind down, and pumpkin-spiced lattes hover on the horizon, travelers can look forward to dipping airfare and the cheapest gas prices we’ve had since 2020.
“It’s going to get better after Labor Day and into mid-September,” said Patrick De Haan, GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis. “That’s when we roll back to cheaper winter gasoline.”
Gas Buddy said parts of the country could soon see gas prices drop below $3 a gallon.
As of Wednesday, the national average for a gallon of regular gas was $3.21. That’s 14 cents cheaper than this time last year.
“The bigger thing pushing prices lower this year has really been OPEC, who earlier this year raised production. That’s pushed the price of oil down,” said De Haan.
If you’re hitting the roads this holiday weekend, AAA said the worst time to travel is Friday between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. and returning home Monday between 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.
“I always advocate for hitting the roads as early as possible,” said Aixa Diaz, a AAA spokesperson. “Get a good night’s sleep. Fill up the night before.”
AAA said Labor Day isn’t as popular as other holiday weekends for travel because many students are already back in school.
“With Labor Day weekend, most people are probably going to leave on Friday and come back on Monday,” said Diaz.