LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — Labor Day weekend wraps up with many traveling home

As Labor Day wraps up, so does a busy weekend of travel for many all over the country.

I was at the Dorrance Rest Stop in luzerne county today and had the chance to speak with many traveling by car and what they experienced driving back home on Labor Day.

“It was good, you know, nice weather. A lot of traffic of course because everybody’s on the holidays but it was really good,” said Jaime Rueda from North Carolina.

Data from the American Automobile Association (AAA) showed Labor Day weekend travel was busier this year than last, leaving many to anticipate backups.

But, some traveling by car say it’s not the amount of people on the road causing traffic.

“In Pennsylvania, there was just some construction that caused I think about an 18-minute slowdown, but that was pretty much it,” said Kimie Matsuo from Washington DC.

Others used the reverse strategy taking the long way home hoping it would be shorter.

“We took the long route, so we kind of tried to avoid the big traffic. So far it has been good, really good,” said Rueda.

With holiday traffic comes safety concerns, and one Boy Scout Troop has been helping travelers with their long drives for the last five years.

“We’re out here giving out free coffee, trying to give back,” said Boy Scout Troop 166 Life Scout Liam Pegarella.

As a yearly service project, Scout Troop 166 gives out free tea and coffee to help people stay alert and awake behind the wheel, something that travelers from all over can appreciate.

“They’ve been grateful here, coming by. We see faces from everywhere. We just had people from Boston and Vancouver Island,” Pegarella added.

But the biggest driving distraction may have been gas prices– on average thirty cents a gallon higher nationally than Memorial Day.

“They’ve been right around four dollars, so not too bad you know. It’s been cheaper, but it’s been more expensive, so not terrible,” said Dan Banaszynski from Washington DC.

Although the prices at the pump are high, they’re not costly enough to keep travelers home on a holiday weekend.

“High, high. Four dollars. We would travel anyways,” Rueda said.

If you did extend your holiday weekend even a little bit longer and will be traveling home Tuesday, AAA has not reported any concerns about busy traffic.