Missed out on traveling this summer due to high costs? You're in luck.
A report out Tuesday from the travel booking app Hopper found airlines are cutting ticket costs for the fall season, making the next couple months a perfect time to get in a last-minute getaway.
The app found flight prices for this month and next are averaging about $211 per ticket, which is down 29% when compared to the last three months of peak summer travel. And when compared to years past, the fares are down 9% from 2022 and 10% down from 2019.
And it's not just a trend for domestic travel; fares to top international destinations have dropped significantly as well, with flights to Europe being nearly $330 less, which is a 31% drop in prices. This summer, a flight to Europe had an average price tag of $1,000 per ticket, and this September and October, they're looking more like $738 per ticket.
These fall months are typically considered "shoulder season," as many Americans are heading back to school or have just gotten back from a summer trip. These trends push some airlines to drop their ticket prices in the fall to incentivize travelers to go on one more vacation before the busy holiday season.
How to get your passport faster for summer travel
The current wait time for a routine passport is about 10 to 13 weeks.
And it's not just the flights that will save you money on a fall vacation. Hopper found some hotels and rental car companies are also joining in on the fall price cut trend.
Average rates for hotel accommodations fell an average of 5% when compared to summer peaks, and in some top markets, this trend will save you a large chunk of change. For example, rates in Orlando have fallen 10% since the summer peak, and San Diego rates have dropped 20% in the last month.
But it's not a one-size-fits-all for all your bucket list destinations, especially those that have fall events like New York City, which hosted the U.S. Open and fashion week.
As for rental cars, the average prices for fall are down 5% since summer, and gas prices are sticking lower than they were last summer, meaning both your air and land travel could cost you less this fall.
