Plan Your Fall Vacation Now

Pros offer advice on how to get the best deals and where to go this autumn

By

Elaine Glusac,

 
Updated August 19, 2026
AARP
Updated August 19, 2026
an aerial view of the shore of portland, maine
Now’s the time to plan your fall vacation. New England cruises, which include Portland, Maine, are a good way to experience fall foliage.
Rick Berk / Alamy Stock Photo

Key takeaways

  • Booking domestic flights 30 to 60 days ahead may help travelers avoid higher fares this fall.
  • Fall travel often means fewer crowds, lower hotel rates and cheaper European flights than in the summer.
  • Popular autumn trips include foliage cruises, national parks and Mediterranean destinations.

As the season of pool parties and barbecues winds down, the keenest bargain-seeking travelers are thinking about pumpkins and fall foliage, knowing that now is the time to plan autumn vacations.

Travel professionals say the ideal booking window for domestic flights in advance of a spike in fares is 30 to 60 days before departure. International trips stretch those windows. 

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Fall travel in 2026 is likely to cost more than seasonal norms as the conflict with Iran is driving up oil prices. Airfare booking app Hopper puts the current average for a round-trip domestic ticket at $319, similar to summer fares .

Despite the higher costs of transportation, travel interest remains high. An AARP survey found that nearly two-thirds of respondents 50-plus plan to travel this year. Wherever you’re bound this fall, here’s what to expect in the season ahead and where to consider going.

Travel is booming, growing more than 4 percent globally last year, which surpassed worldwide economic growth by nearly 50 percent, according to the World Travel & Tourism Council.

the Palazzo Comunale in Tuscany, Italy
This fall, flights to Europe are cheaper than in summer. Here is the Palazzo Comunale in Tuscany, Italy.
Alamy Stock Photo

Timing is everything

Travel surges, which beget higher prices, tend to mirror school calendars, making back-to-school season a relatively quiet and affordable time for those who can get away.

“Fall is the second-best time of year to travel,” says Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper, noting that the cheapest time of year in terms of airfare and hotel prices is January. Despite the high fares expected this fall, “there are fewer crowds, and airports aren’t as busy, so that helps reduce travel disruptions.”

It’s a particularly good time to go to Europe, according to Hopper, which found fall flights were down 22 percent on average, compared with summer airfare. The average was $750 in September and October. Cheaper costs and fewer hassles often come with decent weather in the fall.

Extending summer into fall is a good travel hack, says Tim Hentschel, cofounder and CEO of the online booking site HotelPlanner, noting that fall is “a lot cheaper and less crowded.”

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Nightly hotel rates tend to drop about 20 percent in the fall, compared with summer, he adds. And with 50 percent less occupancy, “restaurants and hotels are not so stretched, so they can provide you with a more laid-back experience.” 

Some exceptions to the fall-is-cheaper rule apply to holidays, including Thanksgiving, which can be pricey because travel demand is high. But the period between Thanksgiving and the December holidays is a great time to stretch your budget.

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“The least expensive time to travel everywhere is that little pocket after Thanksgiving and before Christmas,” says Shelby Frenette, a travel adviser and owner of TravelFun.Biz, an agency in Boca Raton, Florida.

Economic trends are another argument for booking early, Frenette says, but price hikes haven’t stopped her clients. “The 55-plus crowd has a YOLO mindset,” she says, using the acronym for “you only live once.”

“Everyone wants a good value and no one wants to overpay, but they understand that our time here is a gift and they want to enjoy the present,” she says.

Fall travel inspiration

Foliage trips

Fall’s perennial draw, foliage fever, brings road trips to mind. Or for something less DIY, “a cruise in New England or Canada is a great way to see fall color,” Frenette says.

Cruise lines, including Holland America and Norwegian, station ships in New England and the St. Lawrence River in September and October, offering weeklong departures starting at about $117 a day. To enjoy the fall color for a bit longer, American Cruise Lines offers a 16-day New England Fall Foliage cruise that travels from Portland, Maine, to New York City. 

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an Oktoberfest celebration in Leavenworth, Washington
Head to Leavenworth, Washington, for Oktoberfest celebrations.
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Oktoberfests

You can combine leaf peeping with another seasonal event — Oktoberfest — without leaving the U.S. German-themed beer and harvest festivals are common around the country in September and October. Many popular events take place in communities with strong ties to German immigrants, such as Frankenmuth, Michigan; Leavenworth, Washington; and the seven rural villages known as the Amana Colonies in Iowa. 

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National parks

Visits to national parks start to drop off from summer highs in September, but to seek seclusion at popular parks such as Acadia in Maine and Zion in Utah, try November. 

Wildlife viewing

Fall is also a great time to plan a birding trip, as many species transition from summer to winter habitats via migration hot spots from Cape May, New Jersey, to Monterey Bay, California.

Visitors to Point Pelee National Park in southern Ontario, one of Canada’s smallest national parks, can catch fall migrants, including kittiwakes returning from the Arctic, and take advantage of the favorable exchange rate for Canadian and U.S. dollars. (Currently, $1 equals about 1.39 Canadian dollars.)

For elk in North America, the fall mating season is heralded by bugling, a seasonal phenomenon in which male elk vocalize to attract mates or ward off competitors. Tours and events devoted to bugling can be found in the western parts of the U.S.

In the Rocky Mountains, Estes Park, Colorado, celebrates Elk Fest each fall with viewing and Native American storytelling, while to the southeast, the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in southwest Oklahoma has tours to see and hear the animals in September and October.

Florida

Florida is the most popular domestic destination for travelers 50-plus, according to AARP’s 2026 Travel Trends survey, and fall is a pleasant time to visit, with its cooler temperatures and fewer crowds. It’s also a great time to catch cultural events, such as the Shine St. Pete Mural Festival, which has produced nearly 200 murals in St. Petersburg, and the Miami Book Fair. 

a kayaker off the shore of a beach in Costa Rica
Popular solo fall vacations include trips to Costa Rica.
Alamy Stock Photo

International trips

Though most travel spending is domestic, people trying to make up for time lost during the pandemic — a phenomenon called revenge travel — have driven a surge abroad in recent years. Tour operators say demand remains strong.

“Mediterranean destinations are always popular for us in the fall, as participants prefer to head there when there are fewer crowds and more mild, though still sunny, weather,” says Kelsey Knoedler Perri, director of public relations for Road Scholar, a nonprofit tour company that curates learning adventures for those 50 and older.

In 2024, the company launched trips for solo travelers, offering opportunities to travel in small groups with those who have similar interests. Some of its popular fall destinations overlap with domestic solo trips in New Orleans (six days, from $2,649) and Chicago (six days, $2,649) and abroad in Costa Rica (nine days, from $2,849) and Italy (13 days, from $6,999). 

Editor’s note: This story was originally published July 12, 2024. It has been updated based on new information.

The key takeaways were created with the assistance of generative AI. An AARP editor reviewed and refined the content for accuracy and clarity.

Freelancer Elaine Glusac writes the Frugal Traveler column for The New York Times and is famous for her road-trip playlists.

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