Here’s Your Fall Travel Cheat Sheet Including Cheapest Flights and Top Destinations

by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 7:00 AM ET, Mon September 2, 2024

Are you planning — or secretly hoping —to travel this fall?

Then pour yourself a cup of tea or coffee, pull up a chair and dig in to the fall travel cheat sheet that Expedia has just released.

The data dive published by the travel booking platform covers everything from the top trending destinations this fall to the best times to score a deal over the coming months.

Let’s break it down.

Where is Everyone Going?

It seems international trips are top of mind for travelers over the coming months. Flight searches are up 15 percent year-over-year with destinations like Tulum, Mallorca and Tokyo trending.

Domestically, meanwhile, Indianapolis is experiencing something of a moment. Interest in the destination is up 120 percent, according to Expedia flight searches. New Orleans is also growing in popularity. Flight searches of that locale are up 40 percent.

At least some of the surge may be tied to Taylor Swift returning stateside with her Era’s tour this fall, an event that brings an economic and travel boom wherever it goes. The tour is slated to stop in Indianapolis in November.

Here are the top 5 trending fall destinations among flight searches domestically include:

Indianapolis: (+ 120 percent)
Cape May: (+60 percent)
Ann Arbor: (+55 percent)
South Lake Tahoe (+50 percent)
Green Bay: (+50%)

Trending international destinations for fall:

Tulum: (70 percent)
Mallorca: (70 percent)
Curacao: (55 percent)
Tokyo: (50 percent)
Kyoto: (50 percent)

Money makes the aviation industry move. (Photo Credit: Ivan Kmit / Adobe Stock)

When and How to Score a Travel Deal

While there are more people planning to travel this fall than in year’s past, the season is still a good one for scoring deals compared to summer months.

That’s because in many places, fall is considered “shoulder season.” Translation: it’s the time between the uber high tourist season of summer and the low tourist season of winter. And the bonus of fall travel is the weather is still lovely, if not even better than summer because ideally most places have cooled off somewhat.

Here’s a few tips for scoring the best deals prices on fall travel: 

For the best deals, domestic travelers should target the week of Sept. 3, when average ticket prices (ATPs) are nearly $100 cheaper than during the peak of summer. Meanwhile, international ATPs are nearly $260 lower the week of Oct. 20 versus summer.
Honolulu, Seattle, London and Dublin are some of the destinations seeing a 15 percent or more drop in average ticket prices for fall compared to summer, offering travelers significant shoulder season savings. 
You can save up to 15 percent on airfare by departing on a Monday for domestic flights and Saturdays for international flights.

The most expensive flights of the season ahead, on the other hand, are likely to be the week of October 13 domestically, per Expedia. Internationally meanwhile, you’ll want to avoid flying the week of October 6 if you’re hoping to score a bargain of any sort.

“Regardless of the destination, fall is a fantastic time to travel and there’s still time to plan a getaway. The week following Labor Day is the best time for domestic airfare deals, while Oct. 20 is the best for international trips,” Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group Brands public relations, said in a statement.

Best Destinations to Score a Fall Travel Deal

In addition to all of the helpful tips regarding when to travel, Expedia also provided the lowdown on where to travel if you’re looking for the most budget-friendly destination.

Here’s a few of the destinations where average ticket prices are currently down 10 percent or more compared to summer.

Domestic: Seattle (down nearly 20 percent), Honolulu (down 15 percent), Houston (down 10 percent), Denver (down 10 percent), Los Angeles (down 10 percent)  
International: Toronto (down more than 25 percent), Santo Domingo (down 25 percent), London (down nearly 15 percent), Oranjestad (down nearly 15 percent) and Calgary (down 15 percent)