As summer winds down, travel deals are heating up, and savvy U.S. travelers are embracing the chance to plan big getaways. According to the Expedia® Fall Travel Outlook, international trips are top of mind for travelers, with flight searches up 15% year-over-year and destinations like Tulum, Mallorca and Tokyo trending. Meanwhile, the fastest-growing U.S. destination for fall, Indianapolis, is up 120%, with interest driven in part by the “Eras Tour” coming to the city in November.

For budget-minded travelers, fall is primetime for deals, as airfare historically drops 10% compared to the summer months. For many destinations, it’s “shoulder season,” the sweet spot between tourist high season and seasonal low season when the weather is nice, the crowds have dispersed, and hotel rates are more wallet friendly. Tips and trends from Expedia’s Fall Travel Outlook include:

• Top fall destinations for U.S. travelers include Las Vegas, Cancun and Paris, while Indianapolis (+120%), Cape May (+60%), Tulum (+70%) and Mallorca (+70%) are among the season’s top trending hotspots.
• 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% or more drop in average ticket prices for fall compared to summer, offering travelers significant shoulder season savings.
• Japan and New York City are top destinations this fall. See the best the season has to offer by exploring leaf-peeping paradises like Yamaguchi, Japan, a hidden gem just a few hours from Tokyo, and Hudson Valley, New York, a quiet escape outside bustling NYC.

“During the spring, the top destination was driven by the solar eclipse, and this fall it’s another force of nature — the bucket list ‘Era’s Tour,’” says Melanie Fish, head of Expedia Group Brands public relations. “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 — and for the start of leaf-peeping season.”

Expedia Fall Travel Outlook

Destination Insights

• Expedia’s search data highlights Las Vegas and Cancun as the most popular destinations overall for fall. European cities like Paris, London and Rome are also a big draw, as the off-peak season promises lighter crowds frequenting the tourist attractions and lower airfare and hotel prices.
• The destination seeing the biggest year-over-year spike in flight interest is Indianapolis (+120%), a fall hotspot due to the “Eras Tour” coming to the city in early November. The Tour Tourism effect is also boosting interest in New Orleans (+40%).
• East Coast leaf-peeping locales, nature and international beach destinations round out the list of hotspots attracting U.S. travelers this fall.

Best and Busiest Times to Travel This Fall

• Cheapest Travel Dates (International): Week of Oct. 20 when international ATPs are nearly $260 lower than summer
• Lightest Travel Dates: Week of Nov. 10 (approximately two weeks before the week of Thanksgiving; Tuesday, Nov. 12); Mondays

Cheapest Day of the Week to Fly

To maximize savings, depart on a Monday instead of a Thursday for domestic flights to save around 15%, and on Saturday instead of Tuesday for international flights.

Shoulder Season Steals

These are just a few of the destinations where ATPs are currently down 10% or more compared to summer:

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