How to Find Fall Travel Deals to Popular Places

Although the fall is usually thought of as a “shoulder season” – not the high season, not the low season, but somewhere in between – it’s becoming more popular for people travel in the fall. With prices typically lower than in the high season and weather still on the nice side, the shoulder seasons are probably the best in terms of what you get for your money, so it’s easy to understand why it’s gaining in popularity – even though summer travel will probably always be the busiest.

If you’re looking for fall travel deals to places that are getting more popular in the fall, then, it’s important to plan ahead a little bit more just to make sure you don’t pay more for your trip than you should. Because that would sort of defeat the whole purpose of taking a shoulder season trip, wouldn’t it?

Here are a few tips to help you avoid paying a fortune for your fall trip, especially if you’re visiting a place that’s particularly popular in the fall.

>> Here are more tips to finding cheap fall airfare

Pay Attention to Trends & Book Your Trip Early

You don’t have to be a travel industry analyst or stare at fare-watching sites all day to get an idea of where airfare is trending. Most airfare booking sites these days have a way for you to sign up for email alerts to particular destinations or for particular routes.

Just by signing up for these kinds of alerts several months before any trip you want to take, you’ll be notified when prices change and by how much – so you’ll be able to see quickly and almost effortlessly when prices start to go up or down. In turn, you’ll be able to pounce on a low fare the instant you see one, or switch your plans if you find that prices just aren’t going down. And in either case, you’ll be able to take advantage of fall travel deals quickly, months in advance of your trip.

Gamble on Last Minute Fall Travel Deals

This might seem contrary to the point above, and it kind of is – but last minute travel deals are a great way to get a cheap trip, so long as you’re not picky about where you go. There are different email alerts you can sign up for that will let you know about special super-low trips that are more last-minute in nature. The list of destinations with such great deals may not include your dream destination, but if your focus is on getting out of town and scoring a cheap flight, then you’ll probably figure out a way to be excited about at least one of the places on the list.

Keep in mind that if you don’t see a deal you want to take advantage of and all of a sudden it’s a week from your vacation, that’s definitely a risk you have to be willing to take. If you’re not a gambler, then book early. If you are, you could save big.

Don’t Overlook Package Deals

Package tours aren’t always what they’re cracked up to be, and for some people they make for anything but a relaxing vacation – but if you do the math and the price is right, it can be really hard to beat a package vacation for what you get for your money. The key here is to do the math.

Break down whatever vacation package deal you’re looking at to see what it’s offering, and see if you can find prices for the individual components. What would you pay for similar airfare? What about accommodation? Any show tickets, meals, spa services, etc. that they’re including? If you wouldn’t use some of those extras anyway, would happily stay in a cheaper hotel, or can find a better deal on airfare, then you’re better off booking a la carte. But if the prices you find for each individual piece of the package are higher and everything in the package looks good to you, then book it and smile at the money you’re saving.

photo by Pink Sherbet Photography