Fewer Southern Californians Leaving for Labor Day, But More Driving, AAA Says

Fewer Southern Californians are planning Labor Day weekend getaways this year, experts say. 

The Auto Club of Southern California predicts that 2.32 million area residents will travel over the holiday weekend, down 2.6 percent from the 2.38 million who left town during Labor Day 2010. 

The Auto Club predicts that the only form of transportation that will see an increase is car trips, which are forecast to rise slightly this year. About 1.89 million Southern Californians are expected to travel by car this weekend, compared with 1.88 million who did so over the Labor Day weekend in 2010.

"We are seeing some travelers choosing to take a shorter vacation or opting to drive," Filomena Andre, the Auto Club’s vice president for travel products and services, said in a statement Monday.

Nationwide, more than 31.5 million Americans are projected to travel at least 50 miles away from home between Thursday and Monday. That’s down 2.4 percent from last year’s 32.3 million travelers.

For those in Southern California who do plan to get away this Labor Day weekend, the top destinations, according to a survey of AAA travel agents, are: 

1. San Diego
2. Las Vegas
3. Central Coast (Santa Barbara to Monterey)
4. San Francisco
5. Grand Canyon

Last year, Las Vegas topped the regional list for Labor Day weekend getaways, followed by San Diego.