Vacasa’s 2022 Fall Travel Trends

The travel industry often refers to fall as the “shoulder season,” or the period after Labor Day when the rush of summer vacations evens out. But, with that easy (and slightly brisk) breeze of fall comes a whole new reason for many to travel.

We teamed up with Allison+Partners Research to learn more about people’s fall getaway plans and to better understand how this season’s travel could look different from years past—as well as how fall vacations compare to this past summer. Quick weekend trips may be favored as the days get shorter, but that doesn’t mean vacation days will go unused. Turns out, many prefer autumn getaways because the weather is more ideal (34%), it’s less crowded (23%), and/or simply because they’re less busy now than during the summer (22%).

Whatever the motivation, it’s clear that people have no intention of cooling their desire to travel, even as the temperature drops. And, as travelers seek out vacation rentals for the value, privacy, and amenities they provide, we share five trending Vacasa destinations that are seeing noticeable year-over-year jumps in demand.

The fall basics

• 58% of respondents are planning to take a vacation during the 2022 fall season—which is an increase over 2021, when 53% planned to take a fall trip.
• Work flexibility continues to factor into seasonal travel plans: 76% of those working a hybrid or fully remote format plan to get away this fall—but that’s not the only group more inclined to travel. Combined, Gen Z and Millennials are more likely than older generations—Gen X and Boomers—to have travel plans this fall (64% vs. 50%) and the same is true of parents compared to non-parents (63% vs. 50%).
• Those who are not planning to travel for a vacation this fall say they are instead trying to save up money (37%), are not currently in the financial position to take a vacation (36%), or are waiting until gas prices are lower (27%).
• Meanwhile, COVID-19 concerns continue to drop season-over-season as a reason for not traveling: 16% of non-travelers cited the pandemic as a reason for not traveling this fall, compared to 20% of respondents in summer 2022 and 35% in spring 2022.

What’s new for fall travel

• Almost two-thirds of fall travelers are planning to take a quick, weekend trip (2 or less nights) this season (64%)—nearly twice as many as those who planned to do so in a similar question asked in summer 2022 (33%) and nearly three times as many as those who planned to do so in a similar question asked in fall/early winter 2021 (22%).
• Though shorter trips are favored, it won’t be one and done: 72% said they plan to travel more frequently this fall than they did the previous year and take, on average, two weekend getaways—in addition to other trip lengths they may have planned.
• More weekend getaways may mean more spontaneity, too. Half of all travelers are currently in the process of booking/planning their upcoming fall trip(s) (50%), while nearly a quarter say they will likely book a last-minute getaway (24%).
• Bleisure is coming back. Because of upcoming business trips, 63% of respondents say they will be taking more or the same number of personal vacations this fall, while nearly 1 in 6 will be extending upcoming business trip(s) for leisure (16%).

Going the distance: by car or plane?

• Approximately 4 in 5 fall travelers are planning to travel domestically (79%)—which is up slightly from summer 2022 (74%). And, of those who are going to a destination within the United States, 46% are planning to stay close to home, traveling approximately 300 miles or less.
• 64% of consumers are planning on getting to their fall destination(s) by driving, while 44% are planning to fly.*
• What factored into the decision to fly or drive? It’s no surprise that 46% of those flying to their fall destination reported doing so because of high gas prices, while 47% of those driving to their destination share flight-related concerns (i.e. expensive prices, surges in cancellations and delays, and the availability of flight options).
• Generations are split on their fall vacation mode of transportation: Those Gen X and older are more likely to plan on driving to their destination(s) (72% vs. 59% Millennials/Gen Z), while their younger cohort, Millennials and Gen Z, are more likely to fly (51% vs. 32% Gen X and older).*

The holiday road ahead

• Looking ahead, 66% of people are planning on traveling for a fall or winter holiday this year, with Christmas being the most common holiday travel (40%) followed by Thanksgiving (38%).
• 34% of those traveling for Christmas say they’re planning on booking their travel earlier than usual, while even more (37%) Thanksgiving travelers expect to plan travel further in advance this year.