Fall travel, with its slimmer airfares, reduced hotel costs, and uncrowded venues, isn’t quite the secret travel hack it once was.
But the season still offers sweet savings and other perks.
“Travel is strong this fall, despite the uncertainty going into the year about the economy and how it was going to affect people’s travel plans,” Melanie Fish, Expedia Group’s travel expert, told Yahoo Finance. “That hasn’t been the case. More and more people are realizing this is that magic window where crowds and prices are down, and the weather is still great.”
In fact, all the travel sites I canvassed, including Expedia, Hopper, KAYAK, and Road Scholar, report higher search volume for fall trips than last year.
But that doesn’t mean the savings have faded away.
“With summer in the rearview, shoulder season is when the real travel deals kick in,” Kate Williams, KAYAK’s chief communications officer, told Yahoo Finance. “This fall, we’re seeing lower prices across the board — from international and domestic flights to hotels and rental cars. It’s the perfect time to travel without the crowds and sticker shock of peak summer.”
Learn more: What is shoulder season? Your guide to big savings on your next vacation.
That’s a relief considering airfares climbed 5.9% in August after a 4% gain in July.
Compared to peak summer, international round‑trip flights are now down 33%, per KAYAK’s data. US domestic flights are 21% cheaper, rental cars are 19% more affordable, and international hotel stays have dipped by up to 10%.
“When people see some of the discounts, especially with airfares, it changes their whole mindset from ‘I can’t afford to go there’ to ‘Wait … I can, and there won’t be a gazillion people there,’” Sandy Altamirano, a AAA travel advisor, said.
The top international destinations for deals this fall are Tokyo, Cancun, Paris, Rome, and London, Fish said.
Europe is the standout for US travelers: Airfare is more than a third lower compared to summer with Spain leading the way, per KAYAK.
Four Spanish cities made the top 10 for biggest flight price cuts, with fares nearly half the peak summer ticket — Madrid, Barcelona, Alicante, and Malaga. Other similar big international drops include Bologna, Italy and Helsinki.
Dig deeper: How to use credit cards for international travel
Domestic travelers can find deals in Las Vegas, Orlando, and Miami. While New York City has typically been a popular fall traveler destination, hotel prices there are holding at peak tourist season prices, Fish said.
Add to that roster these US cities — Seattle, Oakland, Jackson, Wyo., and Hilo, Hawaii — with fares roughly 30% lower than they were over the summer months, according to KAYAK data.
Cost aside, other fall travel trends gaining traction include programs aimed at solo travelers, learning excursions — from watercolor painting to pickleball — and foodie crawls in cities like New Orleans, according to Meghan Flynn, assistant vice president of program management at Road Scholar.
Other sought-after vacations this fall include train treks in Australia, South Africa, Japan, and Switzerland, Flynn said. Demand for remote locations, including Mongolia, Greenland, and Malta, is also on the rise.
Learn more: Best travel credit cards for 2025
Before you book, here’s some expert guidance to help score an affordable vacation with the least amount of anxiety.
Flights departing after 9 a.m. are twice as likely to be delayed as departures scheduled between 5 a.m. and 8 a.m., according to Haley Berg, lead economist at Hopper. “To avoid travel disruption, fly as early in the morning as possible,” she said.
Flying on a Thursday instead of a Sunday can save you around 17%, according to Fish.
If you know where you’d like to take off to, set an airfare price tracker. You’ll get alerts whenever fares drop or jump. The major travel apps, such as Hopper, KAYAK, and Skyscanner, offer fare tracking, as does Google Flights.
Run a search on KAYAK’s Best Time to Travel tool to get an idea of when you might land the best deals. For instance, I typed in Washington, D.C., to Charleston, S.C., for a long weekend, and it suggested taking my trip in September as flight prices are reasonable at $270, the weather is warm, and it is less crowded compared to other months.
Hotels in big cities will typically lower prices as check-in approaches, and they’re looking to fill empty rooms, Berg said. Booking in the last 12 to 48 hours before check-in can usually save travelers significantly.
“Let technology do the work for you so you don’t feel like you have to hack the system by remembering all the rules of thumb about days and times to travel,” Fish said.
Here’s how it works: Set your home airport on your preferred travel app like Expedia’s Flight Deals feature, and it will show you where there are airfare deals.
“We’re not talking about those one-off fares that give you a 12-hour layover, and it takes you a hundred percent longer to get to your destination,” Fish added. “We’re talking about the direct flights that are trending dramatically lower than normal.”
KAYAK’s AI planner lets you ask and check pricing across flights, hotels, and car rentals. To get the best deal, start with an idea of what you’re looking for, not a precise destination. You type into KAYAK.ai the vibe and how much you want to spend. For example: “Show me a sunny and warm beach town where I can fly to this fall for under $300 round trip from Philadelphia,” then let the AI helper take it from there.
Have a question about retirement? Personal finances? Anything career-related? Click here to drop Kerry Hannon a note.
The last thing you want is for your trip to be derailed by delays and cancellations. “I recommend adding a rebooking service like Disruption Assistance offered on Hopper and other travel providers,” Berg said. “When booking with this service, you can rebook your flight instantly if you’re delayed, canceled, or you miss a connecting flight.”
Experts are predicting an above-average Atlantic hurricane season, which includes the Caribbean, through the end of November.
“If you’re a first-time shoulder season traveler, don’t get so excited about the low prices that you’re not paying attention to things like hurricane season in the Caribbean,” Fish said. “Make sure you understand what’s happening with the weather before you go for that great deal.”
Kerry Hannon is a Senior Columnist at Yahoo Finance. She is a career and retirement strategist and the author of 14 books, including the forthcoming “Retirement Bites: A Gen X Guide to Securing Your Financial Future,” “In Control at 50+: How to Succeed in the New World of Work,” and “Never Too Old to Get Rich.” Follow her on Bluesky.
Sign up for the Mind Your Money newsletter
Click here for the latest personal finance news to help you with investing, paying off debt, buying a home, retirement, and more
Read the latest financial and business news from Yahoo Finance
Leave a Comment
Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *