Why November Is Becoming the Best Time for Off-Season Travel

In Vermont, it’s known as stick season, the time between fall foliage and winter snows. In much of ski country, it’s still “preseason.” But, increasingly, to American travelers, November is now “shoulder season,” a fleeting period between peak travel, which has bled from summer into late September and October, and the holidays.

“In an age dominated by social media, November travel is perhaps one of the world’s best-kept secrets,” said George Morgan-Grenville, the founder of Red Savannah, an England-based high-end travel agency, where November bookings are up 10 percent year over year. “In so many parts of the world, it sits neatly between seasons, offering far fewer crowds and, very often, much more beneficial pricing.”

Over-touristed destinations and overheated summers have pushed many travelers into fall, a formerly fallow time of year to travel. According to HotelTonight, a booking service for last-minute stays, hotel rates now tend to climb through mid-September, then level off through late October before coming down. Average November rates run eight to 19 percent below the two prior months.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/10/travel/november-off-season-travel-deals.html