Marketplace Morning Report — September 1, 2025
Episode Title: Labor Day ends the summer travel season, right?
Host: Nova Safo (in for David Brancaccio)
Episode Overview
This episode of Marketplace Morning Report discusses unexpected trends in the 2025 summer travel season and explores the impact of new technology on criminal record expungement. Nova Safo hosts, speaking first with Deloitte’s Eileen Crowley about surprising shifts in American travel patterns, especially around Labor Day. The episode then features an interview with Roger Roman, co-founder of Legalese, a startup leveraging AI to facilitate legal expungements. Along the way, the show highlights economic implications, changing consumer behaviors, and emerging tech solutions.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. Summer Travel Season: More but Shorter Trips
- Guest: Eileen Crowley, Deloitte transportation and hospitality analyst
- Timestamps: 01:01–04:12
- Americans are taking more trips this summer than expected, but most are shorter in duration.
- There’s a strong focus on leisure travel, indicating that despite budget constraints, people prioritize vacations.
- Quote: “The trips might be a little bit quicker and shorter, but again, that prioritization of leisure travel is continuing for Americans.” — Eileen Crowley (01:31)
Notable Travel Trends
- Travelers are increasingly budget-conscious—more “frugal” than in past summers.
- Quote: “I like to refer to our travelers this summer as more the budget conscious traveler, a little bit more frugal than perhaps in summers past.” — Eileen Crowley (02:01)
- Decrease in international trips; more focus on affordable destinations and spending less at their chosen locations.
- Many Americans are opting to travel after Labor Day, seeking savings during the “shoulder season” (the less-busy period after summer).
- Statistic: The percentage of Americans planning their main summer trip post-Labor Day has nearly doubled from 12% in 2022 to 23% in 2025. (02:59)
Industry Response
- Airlines report a “thinning out” of demand; summer’s rush is more evenly distributed into fall.
- Vacation season is stretching out as budgets tighten.
- Travelers may choose less expensive lodging, such as staying with friends or family.
- Quote: “Depending upon how the economy continues to fare, you know, you could see some folks, some of our American travelers staying with family and friends... Again, it all surrounds the theme of a more frugal traveler.” — Eileen Crowley (03:34)
2. Labor Day & Markets
- Timestamps: 04:14
- US markets are closed for Labor Day, a quick update for listeners on the state of financial trading during the holiday.
3. AI Meets Expungement: Legalese Startup
- Guest: Roger Roman, co-founder of Legalese
- Timestamps: 05:00–08:22
Background: The Expungement Challenge
- Millions of Americans face barriers due to criminal records (even dismissed charges).
- Access to expungement is patchwork across states—sometimes automatic, often complicated and costly.
Legalese: Tech Solution
- Legalese uses AI to help users determine expungement eligibility and process applications.
- Quote: “...our first model to help people basically go ahead and figure out if they were eligible one for an expungement and then help them in terms of processing it.” — Roger Roman (05:30)
- Started with an assumption about their typical customer but learned need cuts across race and class.
- Quote: “We had our preconceived notions about who this could help. But over time, we found that this problem transcends all economic levels. It transcends race. It transcends everything.” — Roger Roman (05:52)
Why Mississippi?
- Chosen as their pilot market due to challenging legal infrastructure and high rates of incarceration and criminal records.
- If it works in Mississippi, easier expansion to other states.
- Co-founder Lawrence Blackman is a practicing attorney and state representative there, providing insight and connections.
The Power and Responsibility of AI
- Roman compares AI empowering Legalese to the transformative arrival of calculators in the classroom.
- He acknowledges concerns about AI but expresses optimism:
- Quote: “Today it just feels like a superpower... I think used in the right space and used responsibly it can really help a lot of people and even the playing fields in a lot of spaces.” — Roger Roman (07:33)
Memorable Quotes
- “That prioritization of leisure travel is continuing for Americans.”
— Eileen Crowley (01:31) - “Our travelers this summer... more the budget conscious traveler, a little bit more frugal than perhaps in summers past.”
— Eileen Crowley (02:01) - “In 2025, that percentage [planning their main trip after Labor Day] is closer to 23%. So it's almost doubled in the last three years of our survey.”
— Eileen Crowley (02:59) - “We found that this problem transcends all economic levels. It transcends race. It transcends everything.”
— Roger Roman (05:52) - “Today it just feels like a superpower... I think used in the right space and used responsibly it can really help a lot of people and even the playing fields in a lot of spaces.”
— Roger Roman (07:33)
Timestamps for Important Segments
- [01:01] — Introduction to summer travel trends (Nova Safo & Eileen Crowley)
- [02:59] — Stat: Post-Labor Day travel plans nearly double since 2022
- [03:34] — Economic pressures shape fall travel, lodging shifts
- [05:00] — Barriers to expungement and Legalese’s AI solution (Roger Roman)
- [05:52] — The universality of the expungement need
- [07:33] — Roger Roman on AI’s potential and responsibility
Episode Tone
- Informed, conversational, and accessible, with the guest analysts providing data-backed insight and candid anecdotes. The host bridges segments smoothly, elevating practical implications for listeners.
Listeners will come away with:
- A fresh understanding of how, in 2025, summer travel patterns are changing to reflect economic realities, including the extension of 'peak' season into fall.
- An introduction to how AI is pushing the boundaries of legal tech and addressing deeply-rooted systemic barriers in the American criminal justice system.