Labor Day weekend travel underway
(NBC) - The busy Labor Day travel weekend is now underway! NBC's Tom Costello has the latest on what to expect if you are hitting the highways or skies this holiday weekend.
It's the last big getaway of the summer with millions of Americans bracing for a busy travel weekend ahead.
"We're expecting a lot more people, a lot more crowds, especially with the long weekend."
According to Triple AAA, bookings for domestic travel - including flights, hotels, rental cars, and cruises - up 4 percent since Labor Day last year.
And a whopping 44 percent rise in international bookings with top destinations including Vancouver, Rome, London, Dublin, and Paris.
With an estimated 95 million Americans expected to travel in the coming days.
Experts say the best times to avoid heavy traffic are the early morning and evening.
"The longer you wait during the rest of the day, more people are just going to be filtering on the roads. So if you can get a good jump start on the holiday, you'll be out ahead of the crowd," said Andrew Gross.
Some cities with typically heavy traffic are expected to be even more congested than usual including l.A., Seattle, Houston, Atlanta, and Boston.
"If it takes us three hours, it takes us three hours. We're here for the weekend, we'll have a good old time."
Some travelers are planning ahead.
"We're actually going to go back on Sunday so we're not dealing with the Monday traffic."
And with the roads expected to be packed, Triple AAA is uring motorists to drive with patience - to avoid what's become a nationwide problem, road rage.
According to a recent survey, the most confrontational drivers are in Arizona.
Followed by Rhode Island, West Virginia, Virginia, and Oklahoma.
If you're looking for polite drivers - head to Delaware!
Many drivers are getting a break at the gas pump with the average price of gas this weekend - 3.82 a gallon - close to the same time last year (3.79).
Meanwhile, the holiday rush is on at the nation's airports.
The TSA says it expects to screen more than 14 million passengers this weekend.
