Shoulder‑season holidays from the UK: September & October deals.

Summer may be over, but British travellers aren’t putting their passports away just yet – quite the opposite, in fact! With peak season behind them, many are seizing the opportunity to swap familiar beach breaks for lesser-known cities, cooler climates and once-in-a-lifetime experiences. KAYAK data reveals: shoulder season isn’t second best – it’s when travellers can see more of the world at better value!

State of things: international travel is a bargain this autumn.

27%↓

avg. international flight price

Sep-Oct vs Jul-Aug 2025

Post-summer travel isn’t just about potentially fewer crowds – it’s also about spending less on the parts of a trip that really add up. Travelling abroad in September or October can save British holidaymakers almost a third on flight costs alone, leaving them with more money to spend on other extras.

Who says saving means scaling back?

According to our data, many travellers are using off-peak savings to upgrade their experience, with searches for business and first-class flights up 60%, five-star hotels up 19%, and convertible cars up 34% compared to the summer months.

Score luxury hotels for less

Major travel trends for shoulder season 2025.

Soft adventure-led escapes on the rise.

Flight searches to Africa (+9%) and South America (+11%) are up vs last year, as more Brits look further afield for wildlife and culture-rich escapes.

Europe steady: south, north and slower cities are in.

Flight searches within Europe are flat year-on-year, but up 11% up vs this year’s summer months, fuelled by beaches and slower-paced cities.

Urban Asia beckons as fares drop.

With flight prices to Asia down 33% vs summer 2025 – the biggest drop globally – travellers are setting their sights on urban hubs such as Tokyo, Seoul, and Shanghai.

A woman with a hat and bag traverses a rock ridge while gazing at the river along the mountains.

Where to go: hot destinations, cool prices.

We analysed the 200 most searched flight destinations from the UK for this year’s shoulder season to answer two key questions: what’s trending, and where can British travellers find the best value?

In short: savings can be found almost everywhere, especially in destinations flying under the radar.

View of the waterfron of Borsh beach in Albania

Underrated and under budget: this is where you can travel to for much less in early autumn.

From beach holidays along Albania’s coast and Turkey’s Aegean to wellness retreats in India to cultural city breaks across Eastern Europe – many of these trips now cost around half the price of peak summer fares.

Cheaper than last year: Spain is on sale.

With the cost of living at the forefront of Brits’ minds, travelling outside of the peak months is already a smart move. Finding flights cheaper than last year? That’s a step further. Six of the ten destinations with the biggest year-on-year price drops are in Spain, often served by secondary airports in quieter coastal areas.

Want to pay less for your hotel stay? Look to Indonesia and Turkey.

A coastal town with mountains covered in vegetation along a beach with colourful fishing boats.

Kuta, Indonesia

With a 43% drop in hotel price for travel in Sep-Oct compared to Jul-Aug 2025, travellers can expect an average hotel price of £59/night.

A female tourist wanders around a ruined castle overlooking several boats and the blue bay.

Antalya, Turkey

With a 41% drop in hotel price for travel in Sep-Oct compared to Jul-Aug 2025, travellers can expect an average hotel price of £144/night.

Jakarta, Indonesia

With a 40% drop in hotel price for travel in Sep-Oct compared to Jul-Aug 2025, travellers can expect an average hotel price of £50/night.

Best deals on wheels? Head to the Balkans.

Balkan road trips just got cheaper with daily car hire prices averaging £16 in Split and Dubrovnik this autumn, and just £9 in Bucharest – around half of summer rates.

Far and off-script: British travellers are shifting priorities.

Lower autumn fares appear to be nudging British holidaymakers to explore new places. Interest in nature-based and purposeful escapes to Africa and Asia is growing, as are searches to cooler northern capitals and mid-sized cultural cities.

Even Mediterranean sunseekers are switching from traditional favourites to lesser-known spots.

Young Woman Wearing Backpack Trekking Touching Tibetan prayer Wheels or Prayers Rolls Faithful Buddhists.Caravan Animal Donkeys Loaded Bags Background.Himalaya Village Mountains. Horizontal Photo; Shutterstock ID 478411030

Bangkok, New York and Alicante are at the top of the flight search charts for the start of autumn. With fares up to a third lower than in summer, proving hard to resist.

Offseason flight costs from UK airports, revealed.

Travellers flying from Liverpool (£154), Cardiff (£196), and Leeds (£202) can expect some of the lowest average fares this autumn – up to 15% less than in summer. This is likely due to expanded low-cost routes to Europe. London remains the most expensive departure city (£456), but a 28% drop since summer reinforces its role as a long-haul hub.

UK’s 100 flight routes with the biggest price drops in early autumn.

KAYAK analysed the data to identify the 100 flight routes from UK airports where prices have decreased vs summer months. Whether you’re flying short- or long-haul from Leeds or London, there are great deals to be found.

Money-saving tips from KAYAK’s travel expert.

KAYAK’s UK travel expert, Rachel Mumford, shares three ways to help travellers plan their autumn trips and make their budgets go further with KAYAK.ai.

#1 Start with an idea, not a destination

No need to know exactly where you’re going – just tell KAYAK.ai the kind of trip you’re after (sunny and under £300? Cultural but quiet?) and it’ll do the searching for you.

#2 Spot the best days to fly

Want to save more? Our tool can suggest the best days to travel for any destination. You don’t need to scroll through the calendar any more.

#3 Get your trip ready in seconds
From destination ideas to price estimates and travel tips, KAYAK.ai gives you a quick, customized overview, making trip planning faster, easier, and a lot more fun.

Methodology

Flight insights in this report are based on flight searches made on KAYAK.co.uk and its associated brands in the period between 01/02/2025 and 31/07/2025 for flights with departure between 01/09/2025 and 31/10/2025 (shoulder season) from any UK airport. They were compared year-over-year to searches made in the same period and with the same travel period last year. They were also compared to searches made between 01/12/2024 and 31/05/2025 for flights with departure between 01/07/2025 and 31/08/2025. All flight prices are average prices for economy, return tickets (except average prices for other classes).

Insights relating to hotels and car hires are based on searches made on KAYAK.co.uk and its associated brands for the same search and travel periods as the flight searches. These are then compared to the same periods in 2024 and July and August 2025. All hotel prices are average for one night in a standard double room. All car hire prices are daily averages on rental cars.

Based on an analysis of the 200 most searched destinations, the destinations with the biggest decreases in flight prices in shoulder season compared to July–August 2025 and to the same period in 2024, as well as the destinations with the biggest increase in flight searches compared to the same period 2024, were identified.

All prices may vary and savings cannot be guaranteed. Percentages for changes in searches are approximate.