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Ah. We've had a few good months of hiking up mountains and splashing in the surf, and you've no doubt gotten a little color on those shoulders of yours. Good news: We're heading into shoulder season, so there's no better time to show off that bronze.
While it's not called shoulder season for the tan you're surely showing off, it is called shoulder season for another reason that any savvy traveler loves.
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What is shoulder season?
Shoulder season is the travel period between the peak (or high) season and off (or low) season. It's when prices tend to be lower than in high season and the weather tends to be better than in low season. And at Going, it's one of our favorite seasons to hit the skies.
As with any good thing, there do come drawbacks. Depending on the kind of trip you want to take, shoulder season benefits may not apply. Looking to sunbathe on a sandy beach? Autumn temperatures won't always allow for that (though some destinations will). Planning a ski vacation? You need snow, which means a fall trip or spring trip (the other common shoulder season) probably won't do.
But if you're just looking for a happy medium of good prices (though maybe not the lowest), decent (though probably not perfect) weather, and slightly smaller (though not nonexistent) crowds, shoulder season can be the ideal time to travel.
Enough with the small talk. Here's how you should be spending your shoulder season.
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According to our latest survey, 25% of Going members said a lack of time off work or school has been their biggest barrier to travel this year.
Do you check in with work while you're on vacation?
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Squeeze in last-minute summer trips
For most, Labor Day marks the end of summer. But for us, it's a friendly reminder that there are a few good weeks left of travel where you'll have nice weather at prices much lower than you've seen over the past few months. And that's not just for airfare-things like hotel and rental car rates also tend to drop in these last few weeks before autumn.
Luckily, there are still plenty of deals to be had, but you shouldn't delay. If you book now, you can still snag a good deal during the month of September.
Just be aware of the 21-day rule. Airfare comes with what's known as an advance purchase requirement, which essentially means that airlines can charge more as the departure date nears. Ticket cost reliably increases 21, 14, and 7 days before a flight departs, so try to get those last-minute summer flights booked ASAP.
As of the time of writing, here are some current Going deals available in September:
- Honolulu to São Paulo for $703 roundtrip
- Manchester-Boston to Puerto Rico for $260 roundtrip
- Buffalo to Frankfurt for $521 roundtrip
- Fort Lauderdale to San Francisco for $169 roundtrip
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Book for the hidden best week for international travel
Thanksgiving is a bit of an anomaly among the holidays. If you're traveling domestically, with millions of fellow Americans visiting family at the exact same time, it can be expensive and a holiday-booking strategy should apply (i.e. start watching prices as early as possible).
However, for international flights, it can be one of the best times of the year to score a cheap one. For airlines, Thanksgiving is a feast-time domestically and a famine-time internationally. What do airlines do to fill the planes flying to Paris and Cancún and Barcelona? They slash fares.
Timing-wise, Thanksgiving is a convenient week to travel. Most kids get a five-day weekend from school, if not the entire week off. Many workplaces do the same.
It's also good timing at your destination, especially if you're traveling across the Atlantic. In late November, many European Christmas markets pop up. The weather is still plenty manageable in autumn. Also, late November is off peak for most international destinations, so in addition to flights, you'll find those lower costs on hotels, car rentals, and activities as well.
Some Thanksgiving deals that we've found (still available at the time of writing) include:
- Dallas to Nairobi for $844 roundtrip
- Sioux Falls to Paris for $511 roundtrip
- Ontario (ONT) or LA to Auckland for around $798 roundtrip
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Get serious about winter trips
While searching for flights in the Goldilocks Window (1-3 months ahead for domestic and 2-8 months ahead for international) works in most cases, it's more nuanced for peak seasons, like the holidays and summer. You should add a few more months to those time frames.
Average airfare dropped 2% in July for the fifth consecutive month (-3% from this time last year and -24% from its peak in June 2022). While it's impossible to predict the future, with the way that airfare has been trending this year, it's reasonable to assume that holiday flights will similarly be cheaper-as long as you plan ahead.
Recent points deals we've sent out with holiday availability include:
- Seattle to Tokyo for 40k-60k roundtrip
- Newark to Athens for 35k roundtrip
- Business class Chicago to Zurich for 110k-140k over New Year
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Start planning for spring and summer
Domestic deals likely won't pop up for a bit, but if you're looking to head internationally, we're entering the sweet spot of the spring booking window. If you see a deal that fits the bill, especially if it's somewhere you really want to go, jump on it. There's no guarantee that prices will go down, but as the date draws closer, prices will 100% go up.
We've seen recent springtime deals like Boston to Madrid for $383 roundtrip and Miami to Uzbekistan for $876 roundtrip-both perfect (if slightly unexpected) options for a little mid-semester breather.
As for summer, we're still in the early stages of the booking window, but now's the time to put out your feelers. Our flight experts report that June 2025 deals are becoming more frequent-deals like that Miami to Uzbekistan and Newark to Athens also have early summer availability.
If you were kicking yourself this year for missing out on those sweet transatlantic flights-or wondering how the heck all of these people afforded summer in Sicily-we'll give you a hint. They either a) started scouting for deals eight months ahead of time (aka in October for early-summer trips) or b) paid an exorbitant amount of money on a ticket because they waited until the last minute.
Don't be the second person. Start looking now-or if not now, very soon.
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