It is Labor Day- the day to mark the end of the summer is upon us. The weather has definitely reminded us that summer is on its way out by dropping ten degrees in the last week. I went swimming and shivered throughout the afternoon.
While the non-retail workers got the day off to celebrate, it seemed that everyone was getting their summer activity fill. I went up the canyon for a hike and found out that everyone from my county was there too.
But Labor Day is not all thrills and frills. It also marks one of the most traffic heavy travel days which, incidentally, means that is has a high number of travel incidents. Here is a couple ways to make sure your holiday weekend is the perfect way to usher out summer with a proper goodbye with no incidents:
- Travel on off times. Generally, when a bunch of people are creating a ruckus out of an area, it creates a traffic jam, often created by an accident. To avoid the mass exodus to the vacation locales leave on off travel times. Instead of leaving Friday after work, get off a few hours early or leave on Thursday night. You will surely miss the insane traffic. Or you could consider extending your vacation by a day. My state’s transportation department has brokered deals with local hotels to get cheaper rates for travelers who extend their vacation. What a great way to save some cash while getting some extra R and R.
- Be safe. This sounds like a cliche, but often times people forget to be safe. While it is the end of summer, boaters or hikers might want to be a little risky to complete that end of summer trick or to go out on a bang. But your short term health insurance will not cover stupidity, so make sure you are safe.
- If you do not like crowds, avoid the hot spots. I am not such a fan of crowds. So I was surprised and a bit unhappy when I realized the trail we tried to hike today was very, very popular. Granted, we chose to hike it at the busiest time of the day. With some planning, we could have avoided the crowds by going earlier (which would even be better to avoid the heat) or we could have picked a different trail.
- Make sure to end Labor Day with a BANG! This is the last warm holiday for the year. If you have a summer bucket list, this is the perfect time to go over your list and see what you overlooked. It might be tempting to spend all day in bed, but if you have something on your list, now is the time to complete it, especially if you are a working bird. However, if your idea of a day off from work is to relax in bed and read all day, then go for it! Just have a plan so you are not disappointed when the day is over.