Officials prep for holiday travel

SIKESTON -- Traveling, shopping and outdoor recreation are typically among the activities included over Labor Day weekend as many families plan one last special outing to mark the end of summer.

Fewer people will take a vacation this Labor Day weekend than last year, though cheaper gasoline and an abundance of special holiday deals still promise to make it a busy weekend on the highways, auto club AAA said.

AAA estimated that 39.1 million people will travel at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday as part of a survey of 1,350 American households. That's 6 million fewer travelers than last year, but it's more than the number of travelers who took to the roads from 2004 to 2007.

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