Quick recap: summer 2023 started off busy with record-breaking numbers of travelers on Memorial Day and July 4th, but that has since eased up. Waited out the May through July travel rush to plan your summer excursion? Your patience (or procrastination) could pay off just in time for the holiday weekend. Before you launch into planning mode, these are our top 3 things to consider ahead of LDW.
Summer travel prices have simmered.
There wasn’t a lot of money-saving happening at the beginning of the summer. Fortunately, prices for trips in the US have since cooled down, especially for flights and car rentals. According to our recent numbers, domestic airfare is 15% cheaper and daily rental car rates are 13% cheaper compared to LDW last year*. Your best bet to save is to search for flights to US hot spots or road trip to your desired destination.
Alternatively, if you can afford to move up your trip timeline before Labor Day, you could save even more. August 18 – 20 will be the cheapest weekend to fly in the US this summer, with flights being 11% less than the rest of the summer**. International flights saw a dip too – airfare for the weekends of 8/18 and 8/25 are 18% less**.
Travelers want to get out of town… and the country.
Domestic flights are cheaper, but there’s still interest in going abroad before the summer is out. We’ve got receipts, too – our data shows that international searches for Labor Day have increased across the board. Queries for international flights are up 8%, hotels are up 25% and rental cars are up 4% compared to last year*. That’s all to say, if your sights are set on somewhere that requires a passport, give yourself extra time to account for airport traffic. Better yet, if you can hold off a few weeks, you could potentially save yourself the crowds (and money).
Catch a deal (and some rays) down south.
We get it – going where it’s hot for the holiday weekend isn’t ideal, but hear us out. Southern destinations across the US happen to have the best flight prices for Labor Day Weekend. In fact, 4 of the 10 cheapest destinations are in the Sunshine State, so this weekend would be great for a beach trip. Whether you’re interested in getting some sun or smokey barbeque, here are the top 10 deals for US destinations:
- Orlando, Florida: flights for LDW 2023 are $210* on average.
- Fort Lauderdale, Florida: flights for LDW 2023 are $212* on average.
- Tampa, Florida: flights for LDW 2023 are $228* on average.
- Denver, Colorado: flights for LDW 2023 are $241* on average.
- Atlanta, Georgia: flights for LDW 2023 are $248* on average.
- Nashville, Tennessee: flights for LDW 2023 are $248* on average.
- Dallas, Texas: flights for LDW 2023 are $255* on average.
- Las Vegas, Nevada: flights for LDW 2023 are $260* on average.
- Miami, Florida: flights for LDW 2023 are $264* on average.
- New Orleans, Louisiana: flights for LDW 2023 are $267* on average.
There you have it: the top 3 things you need to know before you embark on Labor Day Weekend travels. Numbers aren’t enough to convince you? Fine, then at least check out Explore – it’ll show you the cheapest places you can fly for LDW and beyond based on your local airport. Oh, and remember to pack sunscreen wherever you’re headed (that’s tip #4).
Methodology:
*KAYAK considered flight, hotel and car searches between 4/1 and 7/20/2023 for travel between 9/1 and 9/5 2023. For year over year comparative data, the same search dates in 2022 were used for travel dates 9/2 – 9/6/2022. Prices are in USD and are on average. Savings and airfare are for example purposes only and are subject to change.
**KAYAK considered flight searches between 7/13 and 7/26/2023 for travel dates 8/1-8/31/2023. Destinations considered were those with the lowest average airfare from the US, though some have been removed due to travel advisories. Savings is based on the difference between average airfare for specified weekends and the average airfare for all weekends between 5/26 – 9/5/2023. Average airfare and savings are for example purposes only and are subject to change.
