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!
HIGHLIGHTS SUMMARY
State of things: international travel is a bargain this autumn.
Major travel trends for shoulder season 2025.
Soft adventure-led escapes on the rise.
Europe steady: south, north and slower cities are in.
Urban Asia beckons as fares drop.
Where to go: hot destinations, cool prices.
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.
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.
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.
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.
#1 Start with an idea, not a destination
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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.
