Zebulon— LaShonda Bullock of Wake Forest said she would rather stay home Labor Day even though gas prices are down.

“I’d just rather stay home with my family and save and use that for the holidays,” she said.

Other Tar Heels are in the same boat.

Despite a significant drop in gas prices since last month, the number of people who planned to travel Labor Day in the state was expected to decrease, according to AAA Carolinas.

About 720,300 North Carolina drivers were expected to take more than 100 miles roundtrips last weekend, an .08 percent decrease from the 207 number of Labor Day road travelers.

The numbers are from research gained by surveys and a forecast model developed by the Travel Industry Association, which conducts special research for AAA.

“Travelers earlier this summer saw gas prices hit new record highs almost daily and it forced many of them to change their vacation plans,” said David E. Parsons, president an CEO of AAA Carolinas. “The good news today is the cost of gasoline has gone down for 39 consecutive days, a welcome trend for motorists and all those worried about escalating prices.”

But BP cashier Lee Clark said based on what he sees the news hasn’t encouraged people here to travel.

“I don’t hear of anybody who’s going out of town,” he said. “The price (of gas) is still ridiculous. I think this is what it will take for the price to go down — people staying home for the holidays.”

Gloria Gill said it wasn’t gas that’s keeping her home this year, but avoiding holiday traffic.

“We don’t like to travel when everybody else does,” she said. “We like to be at home (Labor Day) and have a cookout.”

Gill planned an all-American meal for her family — hamburgers, hotdogs, and apple pie.

But Tavaris Sutton of Zebulon didn’t get any of the cookout trimmings Monday. He was working. He said he knows what the holiday is all about.

Sutton works at the Oliver House in Wendell. But his employers didn’t schedule him Tuesday and today off to make up for working Labor Day. High gas prices influenced Terry Williams of Wendell to stay home even though his business in investments and real estate is good despite the economic downturn.

“We’ll probably have a cookout and we may go to Jordan Lake,” he said.

The statewide average price of a gallon of gasoline in North Carolina is $3.607, a decrease of 39 cents per gallon since July 4 and 93 cents a gallon more than last Labor Day. Nationally, the average price of a gallon of unleaded gas is $3.667.

But high gas doesn’t deter most people across the state.

Almost 73 percent or 630,200 North Carolinians planned to travel more than 350 miles roundtrip over the

Labor Day weekend. And 432,200 North Carlinas planned to travel 500 or more miles roundtrip.

Zebulon’s Linda Perry did just that == but a week early.

She went to Myrtle Beach the weekend before Labor Day.

“I wanted to avoid the big crowds,” she said. “And gas is five to 10 cents cheaper at the beach.”