AAA: Stay weather-aware this Labor Day weekend

ROANOKE, Va. (WDBJ) - Labor Day weekend is upon us, and AAA says it will be even busier than last year on the road, in the air, and at sea.

Many travelers may be driving. Morgan Dean with AAA Mid-Atlantic says gas prices are about 3 cents lower than they were last year at this time.

So, when will traffic be bad? Dean expects Thursday afternoon and Friday to be the worst travel days. He recommends leaving before 7 a.m. or after 8 p.m. if possible.

“If you can delay your travel until Saturday of the holiday weekend, you might actually see the lowest amount of travel at that point. So all things to think about if you have some flexibility with your schedule,” he said.

Something travelers also need to keep in mind this weekend - the weather. Hurricane Idalia is expected to make landfall Wednesday. Dean says the storm could have an impact on power, roads, and airports from Florida to the Carolinas.

“All things to kind of watch and monitor, delay that travel if you need to, to keep yourself from having to drive through the storm, talk with the hotel you’re staying at, talk with your airline,” he said.

Even if you aren’t headed to those destinations, the storm could have an impact on connecting flights.

“When we start to see airports shut down, we start to see flights canceled. Planes could get stranded in cities that they weren’t supposed to be in, and that flight that you’re hoping to take somewhere to the Northeast or the Northwest, that plane may not be there,” Dean said.

He recommends if you bought travel insurance, read the fine print to see what is and is not covered.

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