Even with climbing gas prices and high statewide unemployment, more than 1 million North Carolinians are expected to travel during the Labor Day holiday, according to estimates from the AAA Carolinas auto club.

That's almost 13 percent more people than traveled 50 miles or more during Memorial Day, the unofficial start of summer and a holiday that usually ranks ahead of Labor Day in terms of travel, said Brendan Byrnes, a spokesman for the auto club. He said that people who have put off travel plans over the past year are finally deciding to take vacations.

"At the beginning of summer they weren't sure about the economy," Byrnes said. "Now that it (summer) is almost over, they want to get that last vacation in."

Gas prices have risen statewide this summer, from an average of about $2.37 a gallon on Memorial Day to about $2.51 now. Still, drivers will pay far less a gallon than they did a year ago, when the statewide average on the Labor Day Weekend was about $3.60 a gallon.

The drop has meant more people willing to hit the roads, even for those who will be getting less than 10 miles a gallon. Brad Poe of Cruise America RV Rental and Sales in

Greensboro said that last year's high holiday gas prices led to numerous cancellations. Things seem to be more stable this year.

"As a whole, they're traveling more," Poe said. "We're almost fully booked out this year."

Labor Day is not traditionally as strong as other holidays, but travelers looking for value would do well to consider here, said Stephan Dragisic, the director of marketing and communications for Visit Winston-Salem.

"Right now, free is good. Value is good," Dragisic said. "We feel that puts us in a good spot.