Hotwire's Best Fall Travel Deals

You’re smart. You saved your vacation days to travel in fall when hotel rates and airfares tend to be lower than during summer’s high season. “Fall is one of the most underrated travel seasons of the year. The weather is still great, the crowds are lighter, and there are amazing deals to be scored,” according to Hotwire, a travel site that offers travel discounts. For an affordable fall, Hotwire, using data from 2015, guides travelers to the money-saving getaways.

Hotwire’s Best Fall Deals

Hotel rooms

In fall you can book upmarket hotel rooms for the cost of budget lodging. Ten cities offer 3 to 5-star hotel rooms from $67, according to Hotwire’s data. Look for bargains in Las Vegas, Toronto, Orlando, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, New Orleans, Vancouver, and Austin. Save more money by including a stay on the least expensive day of the week—Sunday.

However, beware of center city properties that cater to conventions. Those hotels have high mid-week rates until the business meetings taper off in November and December. For good fall and winter rates, visit cities where winter means overcoats, including Chicago, Boston, Seattle and Minneapolis.

Car rentals

Flying to your destination? Using Hot Rate car rental rates for 2015, Hotwire found rental deals—not counting taxes and fees-- in the following ten cities from $13 per day: Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Los Angeles, Orlando, Baltimore, Charlotte, Raleigh, Dallas, San Francisco, and New Orleans. The AAA (American Automobile Association) predicts that gas prices will drop for the remainder of 2016.

Weekend savings

The most affordable weekends to travel from cheapest to most expensive: Weekends of December 20; November 29; December 13; November 22; December 6; December 27; November 1; November 15; November 8; October 25; October 18.

More Hotwire tips for deals on trips

Book an airline ticket on Tuesday, which often is the day you can grab the best weekend deals.

Purchase your airline ticket first so that your booking site pops up deals on lodgings and car rentals.

You can save money by reserving a red-eye (overnight) flight if you’re traveling cross country.

Thanksgiving, Christmas, “Friendsgiving”

If you can only afford the time and money to travel to see your relatives once over the holidays, the week of Thanksgiving offers more affordable airline fares than does Christmas week. If you cannot go home for the annual celebrations, five cities gift travelers with good deals during the holidays: Las Vegas, San Diego, Chicago, Miami Beach, and New Orleans.