Ah, Labor Day weekend. Every traveler’s siren song to summer. Whether you’ve spent the last three months on vacation or at your desk counting down the hours until “Summer Friday” kicks in, Labor Day is the last hurrah before things get serious in the Fall.
This year, we wanted to know: what destinations are seeing a curious spike in interest among our fifty, nifty United States? To find out, we tracked flight searches for travel over Labor Day weekend and compared them to last year’s Labor Day searches to see what’s trending.
From the 13 original colonies to the wild, wild West, American travelers have some interesting destinations picked out to celebrate summer’s last days.
Key takeaways from our discoveries:
-
- Banking on the Brexit. When the British pound dropped to historic lows after Brexit, some states find that a vacation in the UK is now more affordable than before. Combined with the uncertainty of what leaving the EU means (and the potential for the pound to rise again), these travelers are getting in their hop across the Pond while the getting’s still good!
- Loonie toonie. A low Canadian dollar has other states turning their eyes (and flights) northward. Looking to score great travel deals, the favorable exchange rate means Americans expect a bit more bang for their buck when visiting our friends in the Great North.
- On the cutting edge. Illinois and DC are staying ahead of the trend and booking flights to Havana, Cuba. With relaxed travel restrictions and the big commercial airlines touching down in the fall, travelers are enjoying steamy nights at the Tropicana before travel to Cuba becomes mainstream.
- Better when we’re together. Several states are opting for some family-friendly fun in locales like Orlando, New York and San Francisco (which also happen to be on our Travel Hacker Guide’s Top Family Destinations list. Coincidence? We think not)…
- Where my party at. …while states like Arizona, Florida and Pennsylvania are keeping things hot and heavy in party locales like New Orleans and Sao Paolo, Brazil.
- Race to the beach. Several states think saying “bye” to summer is best when your feet are in the sand. They’re choosing beachy spots like Key West, Punta Cana and Valparaiso.
Need inspiration for your Labor Day trip? Our Explore tool will show you how far you can go on your budget. Or, take a glance at our Summer Travel Hacker Guide’s Top Summer Friday Destinations for the top places to plan a long weekend away. Travel Problem Solved.
| State | Destination | % Growth in Searches |
| Alabama | San Diego, CA | 83% |
| Alaska | Dallas, TX | 16% |
| Arizona | New Orleans, LA | 141% |
| Arkansas | Tampa, FL | 54% |
| California | Taipei, Taiwan | 426% |
| Colorado | Burlington, VT | 139% |
| Connecticut | Orlando, FL | 123% |
| Washington, DC | Havana, Cuba | 152% |
| Delaware | Denver, CO | 156% |
| Florida | Sao Paulo, Brazil | 168% |
| Georgia | Dublin, Ireland | 440% |
| Hawaii | New York, NY | 122% |
| Idaho | San Diego, CA | 42% |
| Illinois | Havana, Cuba | 178% |
| Indiana | Calgary, Alberta | 206% |
| Iowa | Austin, TX | 81% |
| Kansas | San Francisco, CA | 77% |
| Kentucky | Dallas, TX | 143% |
| Louisiana | Chicago, IL | 247% |
| Maine | London, UK | 122% |
| Maryland | Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | 109% |
| Massachusetts | Dublin, Ireland | 184% |
| Michigan | London, UK | 129% |
| Minnesota | Calgary, Alberta | 151% |
| Mississippi | Orlando, FL | 191% |
| Missouri | Toronto, Ontario | 125% |
| Montana | San Diego, CA | 110% |
| Nebraska | Milwaukee, WI | 198% |
| Nevada | Orlando, FL | 100% |
| New Hampshire | Dallas, TX | 248% |
| New Jersey | Seattle, WA | 87% |
| New Mexico | Montreal, Quebec | 154% |
| New York | Seoul, South Korea | 184% |
| North Carolina | Valparaiso, FL | 143% |
| North Dakota | Seattle, WA | 43% |
| Ohio | Key West, FL | 159% |
| Oklahoma | Pittsburgh, PA | 122% |
| Oregon | London, UK | 132% |
| Pennsylvania | Sao Paulo, Brazil | 400% |
| Rhode Island | Atlanta, GA | 66% |
| South Carolina | Nashville, TN | 267% |
| South Dakota | Orlando, FL | 98% |
| Tennessee | London, UK | 109% |
| Texas | Green Bay, WI | 502% |
| Utah | Phoenix, AZ | 624% |
| Vermont | San Diego, CA | 52% |
| Virginia | Punta Cana, Dominican Republic | 141% |
| Washington | Albuquerque, NM | 155% |
| West Virginia | Dallas, TX | 157% |
| Wisconsin | Spokane, WA | 205% |
| Wyoming | Orlando, FL | 138% |
Methodology:
Considered flight searches conducted on the US locale between 03/01/2016 and 07/15/2016 for travel dates 09/01/16 through 09/08/16. Compared to flight searches conducted on the US locale between 03/03/2015 through 07/20/2015 for travel dates 09/03/2015 through 09/10/2015. Filtered searches by IP address to identify which state searches were conducted in. Only considered destination results with at least 50 clicks in both 2015 and 2016.
