I don't know about you, but it's been a little while since I've traveled the world. I took an international trip last fall, and despite spending a week in Florida with my significant other a few months ago, I'm dying to hop on a plane and see the sights. I want to go hiking in the mountains when the air is crisp, and gaze at an amusement park from the top of a Ferris wheel. But before booking anything, I want to know the exact destinations that are worthy of my time and energy. So, Elite Daily asked travel experts for the best places for a fall 2019 weekend getaway.
Spoiler alert: These experts delivered. They gave me (and you) the scoop on where to spend Friday, Saturday, and Sundays this fall, and also some advice on what to do, see, and eat while you're in the dreamiest places around the world and in the United States. They shared their tried and true travel tips like making the most of the travel apps on your phone, being sustainable and eco-friendly when you're going anywhere, and packing everything in a carry-on bag.
It's all worth listening to before booking a weekend getaway with your besties, and checking out one of these 10 destinations that are popular this fall.
Austin is the perfect place for millennials who want to enjoy the best a city has to offer, with the sunshine close by. Rainey Street is a hot nightlife spot in Austin, with fun bars and delicious bites to eat in bungalow-style homes. Visitors can also spend a day tubing on the area rivers or swimming in and hiking around Barton Creek.
Lake Travis is right outside Austin, so it offers a lake getaway and access to the city. University of Texas football and two weekends of Austin City Limits music festival are probably what makes it so popular for groups of friends and family renting Vrbo vacation homes this fall.
— Melanie Fish, travel expert with Vrbo
Most of [the most popular fall 2019] destinations offer the best of both worlds: proximity to the outdoors, but also access to city life that caters to cultural experiences, like delicious food and drink, bold music, and more.
Nashville is the capital of country music, and anyone who visits needs to catch a live show, stop by the Grand Ole Opry, and eat their fill of biscuits and barbecue, but it’s also just 20 minutes to beautiful hiking at Radnor Lake, making it the perfect place for groups of friends who want to get in some activity before hitting up the food and music scenes in the afternoon and evening.
— Melanie Fish, travel expert with Vrbo
People want to enjoy the outdoors for a quick weekend escape! Whether it’s hiking in some of the most beautiful forest and lake regions across the country or taking in sweeping ocean views, people aren’t ready to hunker down for winter just yet... Most people know that Gatlinburg and the Asheville area are stunning mountain getaways.
— Melanie Fish, travel expert with Vrbo
Orlando is always one of the top domestic destinations, and it definitely will continue this fall as well. There is a tremendous demand for the theme parks and other activities in the greater Orlando area. Flights are extremely cheap for the fall, especially if you have some flexibility to travel on the non-peak days of Friday through Sunday.
— Tom Spagnola, senior vice president of supplier relations at CheapOair
While it’s not so surprising people want to hike the trails and cozy up in mountain cabins for fall, what might be more surprising is that people are still hitting the beaches. Coastal cities like [...] Ocean City, New Jersey appeared in the top 10 [most popular destinations for fall 2019]. While many of these destinations are often pricier during the summer months, the fall offers a less crowded time to visit at a fraction of the cost.
Ocean City, for example, costs on average 29% less per night when you book a vacation rental in September versus August, but it’s still plenty warm enough to lay on the sand with a book.
— Melanie Fish, travel expert with Vrbo
Hawaii is forecasting to be extremely popular this fall. There have been two new additional airlines that have entered the Hawaii market from the USA, which is adding more seats on a daily basis and also reducing the pricing based on need to increase the airlines load factors.
— Tom Spagnola, senior vice president of supplier relations at CheapOair
Iceland, Ireland, England and Scotland are all destinations that are more easily accessible from the U.S., especially the Eastern states, and feel more easily surmountable in a shorter span than, say, Thailand. The fall months are also off-peak season for Europe, so there are fewer crowds and better rates. They provide new cultural experience while still guaranteeing the best parts of fall: cozy weather, changing leaves, cooler temps and outdoors adventures.
On our Ireland trip, for example, you’ll do everything from the Jameson Whiskey Distillery tour to exploring Dún Aonghasa, the ruins of prehistoric forts. Other exciting trip adventures include a walking tour of Galway, seeing the Cliffs of Moher, visiting the birthplace of Halloween at Londonderry (especially spooky in October) and so much more. This trip is currently $220 off the normal price, and includes all lodging, in-destination transport, most meals and various activities.
— Abbey Schoenberg, Contiki USA VP of marketing and communications
Europe is showing tremendous improvement in fall bookings. The off-peak season from September through mid-December is a perfect time to travel and find low airfares. The demand is down for travel after the summer season. Greece, Turkey, Sweden, Austria, Poland and Hungary are doing especially well for the upcoming fall.
Weather is always a major factor as well. The fall weather in Europe and Canada make for perfect temperatures to spend plenty of time outside enjoying the sights without the high temperatures. Because of a lower demand for travel, hotel rates also decrease.
— Tom Spagnola, senior vice president of supplier relations at CheapOair
Latin America is also showing a positive trend. Countries such as Brazil, Argentina, Mexico, and Costa Rica are becoming very popular.
Millennials are focusing more on the ‘experience’ of traveling to destinations. They are wanting to become part of the culture and local lifestyle. Millennials are very culinary-focused as well. They are posting some of the different types of foods and locations that they are experiencing to almost challenge other millennials about who is at the unique destination or cuisine they are eating.
— Tom Spagnola, senior vice president of supplier relations at CheapOair
Around the globe, our Costa Rica and Egypt trips are experiencing a surge in fall bookings, but these Western Europe trips are more accessible for many of our American travelers.
Millennials traveling to these destinations – and really, to any destination – should keep sustainability top of mind. With this in mind, Contiki offers a foldable water bottle that not only reduces your plastic waste and saves money, but also uses an advanced filtration system to remove 99.95% of bacteria and 99.97% of protozoa, creating clean, safe drinking water wherever you are in the world.
— Abbey Schoenberg, Contiki USA VP of marketing and communications
Some responses have been lightly edited for length and clarity.
