Benefits of Fall Travel

There is something to be said for fall travel

While some call it “shoulder season”, “hurricane season” or even “off-season”, I call it “PERFECT”!  Summer is crowded, hot, humid and hectic at most destinations but when the calendar flips from August to September, some magic happens

Autumn embraces the spectrum of weather  – from hot and humid to cool and crisp to cold and even snowy!  New England explodes in fall colors, snow starts to appear on the ski mountains, and beer, food and wine festivals pop up all across Europe.  There is something for everybody

Here are my top five reasons to take advantage of the season and travel NOW!

The kids are back in school and the hoards of tourists

 thin out in towns, at attractions and on airplanes.  Wait times at Walt Disney World drop substantially, you can walk up to a beautiful sidewalk cafe in a European town and find a seat (maybe with a comfy blanket waiting for you) and those beach chairs that you have to reserve by 7:00am during the summer are ready and waiting.

Airfares usually drop and hotels and resorts offer great “package deals” including lots of added value.  River Cruise lines that float Europe’s great waterways offer themed sailings, from beer and wine cruises to Jewish Heritage and Christmas Market tours..usually with promotional pricing. Family resorts, in particular, recognize that the kids are back in school and try to lure the families back with “free dining plan” offers and steep room discounts…as well as special events like Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween party.

From Munich’s famous two-week Oktoberfest to cider pressings in Vermont, festivals, fairs and harvest-season celebrations abound throughout the US and Europe.  Did you know you can even travel to Italy during the grape-harvest and help local vintners pick their grapes?  And, of course, there is always a huge party thrown for all the workers when the harvest is completed and the wine-making begins!  What an awesome, authentic experience!

Let’s face it…unless your goal is to sit by the pool or lie on the beach all day, the heat can make any vacation a little bit miserable.  I have traveled through Italy in the summer and had a wonderful time, loving the art, food, wine and culture.  What I did NOT love, though (in addition to the throngs of tourists shuffling through the Vatican museums and crowding into the narrow streets of some Tuscan Hill Towns) was the heat!  Walking up steep hills when it is very hot makes me tired…I can always add a layer if it is chilly…but when it’s hot you can only take off so much clothing and still look appropriate!  Just sayin’!

More than any other time of the year, it’s during the shoulder and off-seasons when locals have more time to be personable.  Think about it..when there is a line of tourists waiting to purchase that plastic Pope Francis statue, all the clerk has time to do is focus on the cash register.  In slower times, they might actually take a few minutes to chat and see if they can help you choose a more meaningful souvenir!