Last updated on March 12th, 2024 at 05:00 pm
Interest in these spots is spiking, yet villa and airfare prices have a great value.
This autumn international travelers seem eager to venture far from home. As the summer travel crowds fizzle and temperatures mellow out, fall emerges as one of the most ideal—and strategic—times of year to book a dream getaway.
“The spike in searches for places like New York City, Tuscany, and Barbados point to travelers being excited to pack their bags for places that were previously harder to visit due to travel restrictions, testing requirements, or high airfare prices,” says Sabrina, CEO of Haute Retreats. “Now that most Covid-related travel restrictions have loosened, these destinations are back on the table and made even more appealing by factors like the favorable dollar-to-Euro exchange rate and shoulder season deals.”
Haute Retreats six destinations that are seeing surges in interests from travelers this fall—according to data from travel search sites.
Punta Cana
As the temperatures cool, the more sunny island vacations come into focus, with Punta Cana topping Kayak’s list of top international destinations for fall travel, with a 147 percent spike over pre-pandemic 2019 searches.
The early part of fall is sunny and humid, marked by showers in the afternoons and evenings as hurricane season tapers off and officially ends in November. While the chance for passing rain is always there, fall is still an opportune time to relax along the Dominican Republic’s 30-mile stretch of white sand, whether it’s diving to see shipwrecks, fishing, boating, or simply kicking back under a coconut palm with a drink.
Stay in one of our private luxury villas.
New York City
All eyes are on the Big Apple domestically, as New York City regained the pre pandemic numbers. It’s no surprise that the City That Never Sleeps has roared back from its pandemic pause.
New York will see the opening of its first museum Museum of Broadway in November, as well as buzzed-about new shows like Almost Famous with previews starting October 3 and KPOP starting October 13 alongside staples like The Lion King celebrating its 25th anniversary in November.
Recently opened new viewpoints include Summit One Vanderbilt with an Instagram-worthy mirrored spaced and Edge NYC (where daredevils can scale the side with City Climb), while the digital art space Hall des Lumières opened today. And of course nothing beats a walk through Central Park immersed in the autumnal colors.
Barbados
The Caribbean island nation has seen a whopping growth between last year and this year for fall travel, likely tied to Covid-19 testing requirements being dropped in May. It’s a great time to visit Barbados that is pretty low risk of hurricanes or heavy enough rainfall to impact your island getaway.
“There are also several music, food, and surfing festivals that happen during the fall months, so you’ll have plenty to do in between relaxing on the beach.” Among the fall events are the Barbados Jazz Excursion and Golf Tournament October 6 to 10; Barbados Food and Rum Festival October 27 to 30, and the Run Barbados race, with distances from 3K to a marathon, December 11.
Tuscany
Bypass the summer crowds with a winter visit to Tuscany. Start out by spending a few days in Florence: book supper at the Massimo Bottura-run restaurant inside Gucci’s trippy flagship in the city center, Gucci Garden, and explore the Uffizi and Accademia galleries virtually tourist-free. Then head to the coastal, Belle Epoque-era town of Viareggio, a little over 50 miles west of Florence, to celebrate Carnival.
This is truly the time to follow the trails left behind by the thousands of pilgrims that walked towards Rome looking for a special blessing from the Pope. The 15 legs of this journey starting in Canterbury, will exalt the various landscapes which have made Tuscany famous and the weather is perfect for enjoying a long and relaxing hike.
There is nothing like a few days of brisk temps to make you long for warm waters to soak in. Tuscany is the natural solution to pampering yourself. Surround by all this natural beauty, great masterpieces and artists, monumental architecture and a a rich history of conquests, the region is also incredibly popular for its natural warm pools, and a culture of caring for the body as well as the mind. This is probably the reason why two of the larger and most popular Wellness events are held in Montecatini and Versilia Tuscany.
Palm Springs, California
Palm Springs relishes its reputation as a chic enclave of mid-century design all year, but never more so than in October during Modernism Week . The event takes place from October 13th to October 16th in 2022, featuring more than 350 events ranging from home tours to architecture lectures. (Tickets for every event tend to sell out quickly, so book as early as possible.) You can also visit the 200-acre Sunnylands complex, with its haute modern pink-roofed mansion built by the late media magnate Walter Annenberg and his wife. To explore houses that are usually off-limits, join one of the self-driven Signature Home tours, where visitors will see houses built in a variety of modernist styles.
Book a stay at Kempa Villa, a private oasis on five acres surrounded by Palm Desert’s otherworldly beauty. Open the gates to reveal lush, tropical gardens and a palm-lined entry that gives way to your dream escape. We invite you to visit for whatever reason draws you here: whether it’s to spend time wandering the orchards in quiet reverie or to host your big event on the great lawn with rolling mountains as your backdrop.
Bali
Bali no longer requires visitors to quarantine upon arrival (although there are still some testing requirements), which makes a fall vacation to the Indonesian island all the more appealing. October is the last month of the dry season in Bali, with sunny days and clear skies making it a perfect time to visit the island.
The island welcomed a slew of new luxury villas and restaurants during the pandemic, so October visitors may also get to sample some new venues before anyone else. Check out the six-course menus at FED by Made, smoothie bowls and avocado toast at Woods, and natural wines at Bar Souvenir.
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