Affordable Autumn Holidays for 2025 & 2026
Autumn is one of my favourite times to travel – the light is soft, the excruciatingly hot days have eased off, and more often than not it’s easier to get more space at better value.
There’s also this general sense of change, which I particularly love in Europe – you can see it in the trees, but you can feel it in the communities. The summer tourism push is over. People snatch a few moments extra sleep, take a bit longer over a coffee, enjoy a lazier pace of life.
Autumn is my favourite time to travel, followed closely by Spring.
Take a look at our ‘Travel by Month’ calendar for some more ideas – or read below for a few tips, tricks & itinerary suggestions.
How to make your trip more affordable
Here are smart ways to stretch your money without giving up on what makes a holiday special.
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Fly outside school holiday weeks. Even shifting by one week can make a big difference.
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Stay slightly off the main tourist hub. Mix nights in smaller towns or rural spots alongside the cities or more luxurious hotels. It gives a more relaxed pace, you’ll get a better sense of the country and the savings add up.
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Choose “shoulder season” dates – just before or after peak. Early autumn often delivers good weather, but with fewer people. Win win.
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Mix accommodation types. Boutique guesthouses and smaller hotels often cost far less than big luxurious hotels, but they give great character to a holiday. If you want a spot of luxury, spending one or two nights in something fancier means you’ll avoid that FOMO feel, but without inflating the cost of the whole trip.
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Plan the journey smartly. If there are stopovers, regional flights, or land travel that are less well served, it can be prudent to get those sorted early. This is a bit of a balancing act with when flight dates are released, but if you work with someone like Fleewinter then your personal travel consultant will help make sure these details are in hand from the very start.
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Budget for food, tips, local travel. It’s easy to budget for flights and hotels, but extras like meals in local cafés, transport, entrance fees, tips can catch you out, and there’t nothing worse than realising a trip is going to be more expensive than you thought it was. Chat to your personal travel consultant about how much you should be factoring in for them, and save yourself any in-trip frustration.
What to expect & what to pack
Because autumn can have less predictable weather than spring or summer, here are a few practical things to bear in mind.
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If you’re travelling somewhere where it’s autumn as well, be ready for variable weather: warm days, cooler evenings, possible rain. Layers are your friend – chat to your Fleewinter expert about what they take when they visit, and use that as a guide.
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Bring good shoes. Even for coastal towns or city breaks, cobbled streets, markets, or rural tracks tend to be rougher once you leave the tourist circuit – and if you’re choosing a beaten track holiday (because it’s well-worn for a reason!) then .. it can get really slippy if it’s not blazing sun!
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If you’re doing desert or mountain regions, nights will get colder – pack something warm.
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Check local holidays or festivals – sometimes they can be a bonus (lots of culture), sometimes they mean places are busier or some services more limited.
Where to go – good value, great experiences
Here are destinations I think offer strong autumn value, plus memorable things you can do when you get there.
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Morocco
Autumn (roughly September through November) is a strong pick. The heat in many inland areas has eased, the Atlas Mountains are more comfortable, and places like Fes, Chefchaouen or Essaouira offer culture, scenery and coast without peak-season prices. (fleewinter.com)
A trick I often use: mix one night or two in a more luxurious spot (say a desert camp or a riad with views) with more modest or mid-range stays elsewhere. That creates balance – you get memorable nights but you don’t pay luxury rates for every night. -
Jordan
After summer, Jordan quiets down. Petra is less crowded in autumn; Wadi Rum under stars feels peaceful; and the Dead Sea is still warm enough to enjoy. Because demand is lower, accommodation and flights tend to be cheaper. We’ve noticed good deals in shoulder season (autumn or spring) on Jordanian holidays. -
Sri Lanka
By autumn, especially early autumn, the monsoon shifts and many parts (e.g. east coast beaches) enjoy calm weather. Fewer travellers, lower costs, more space to breathe. For those who like a mix of sea, nature, and culture, it’s a strong option. -
Abano Terme, Italy (Spa & Wellness)
If you prefer something gentler, with less travel fuss, spa breaks are excellent in autumn. The thermal pools feel extra relaxing once the evenings draw in, and you can still enjoy nearby cultural cities without peak crowds. - Croatia and Slovenia – frankly gorgeous in the autumn. There’s no need to go all the way to New England – try hiking the Julian Alps in Slovenia for other-worldly mountain and forest scenery, or the famous towns and cities of Croatia which will be enjoying the reprieve from the summer sun.
Here’s our extended read on shoulder season travel, including tips and ideas – if you’re after a bit more info!
Sample affordable autumn itineraries (that work)
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Jordan: 7-9 nights combining Amman, Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea. You get history, landscape, relaxation.
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Sri Lanka: perhaps split between hill country (tea plantations, mist, cooler air) and an east-coast beach stay.
- Morocco – here, whatever you fancy doing can be designed for you. Combine Marrakech, the mountains and the beach, or head to one of the historic cities – our current favourite is Rabat. Take a look at some of our sample trips but remember, every holiday we design is bespoke – so these are more for inspiration!
Loads of our destinations are great in Autumn – depending on the month you want to travel, we might recommend different places.
Travel in Autumn with Fleewinter
The rhythm of travel feels more luxurious in Autumn. You’re not rushing; things like visiting a souk, lingering over a meal at dusk, walking through olive groves, watching the desert sunset – these moments all seem to last just that little bit longer. There’s also that sense of change, whisperings of the seasonal shift, which almost tingles – in Europe, the harvest is close after the summer’s heat, and in further flung destinations there’s also a gloiruous anticipatory feeling in the air.
Ready to plan your next Autumn break?
Email the team at Fleewinter for ideas or hit the ‘enquire now’ button top right – we can’t wait to plan your next affordable autumn holiday.
