Everyone Seems to Be Taking a “Fallcation” This Year—What Does That Mean for Travel

What is leading to more “fallcations”?

At this point, it’s conventional wisdom that September, October, and November are more comfortable times to travel because, in most destinations, you get more temperate weather and fewer crowds in the fall. “Autumn has outperformed summer for at least the past two years,” says Tom Barber of UK-based Original Travel. For Barber, September and October departures are up by 53% and 45%, respectively, compared to August departures. He explains, “People still want the classic summer destinations—Greece, Italy, Spain, Egypt, Morocco—but they increasingly want to experience them without the intense heat.”

September is now one of the busiest months for travel company Red Savannah, says Camilla Davidson, its head of destination management for the UK, France, and Ireland. The relentless summer news cycle is also playing a part in this behavioral shift. “It’s all dominated by headlines around European wildfires, unlivable temperatures, endless lines on arrival at airports, overtourism, and elevated prices,” Davidson says. “Many savvy travelers are looking to shoulder seasons to avoid these pitfalls, with the fall seen as a more ‘reliable option’ than the spring.”

On the other hand, Cari Gray of Gray & Co., which focuses on private active trips, says that fall has always been her clients’ preferred travel period over the summer season. “So many folks have well-established summer routines like going to their cabins and annual visits to favorite lodges,” Gray says. “They break free in the fall when kids are in school—both in grade school and college—and the weather is perfect for outdoor activities.”

An autumn morning by the Marble Bridge in Copenhagen passes calmly.

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Who are the people actually taking “fallcations”?

Travelers with kids in school are often tied to the academic calendar—back to school in the autumn, big vacation periods in the summer. So fall travel has historically been the domain of empty-nesters, young couples without dependents, parents bringing along adult children (or vice versa), friend groups, and solo adventurers. This has largely remained the case in our current era of the fallcation.