Traveling this fall? Here’s one thing you absolutely must not do — complain.

Don’t complain when traveling after this packed summer season.

There’s one thing Jerry Slaff won’t do when he travels to Edinburgh and Dublin this fall: He promises not to complain.

“We’re hoping to avoid the big push of summer tourists by going in October,” says Slaff, a playwright from Rockville, MD.

But if he doesn’t — if he gets stuck in a long line or has to fight the crowds at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery — he’ll stay quiet. Staff figures that travelers did plenty of griping this summer, and people are tired of it. Also, when travelers complain, it doesn’t change anything. So why bother? 

That’s not the only thing smart travelers aren’t doing this fall. They’re avoiding some popular destinations and shying away from ambitious itineraries and last-minute decisions about their trips. But there is one thing everyone must avoid this fall — and I’ll tell you in a second. 

What’s the outlook for fall travel?

Travel is still expensive and chaotic, but this fall, travelers will see a little relief from the summer. A new survey by travel insurance company Faye suggests 68of American travelers plan to go somewhere during the upcoming fall and winter season, down 3 percent from last year. And half of them plan to leave the country, which is a continuation of a travel trend that started earlier this year.

One of the top travel concerns: high prices. Of those who said they were traveling, 61 percent said they were worried about inflated fares and rates. Here’s what they can expect: 

• Airfares are mixed for fall travelers. According to the airfare app Hopper, domestic ticket prices are down 11 percent for the third quarter to an average round-trip fare of $257. If you’re flying to Europe, they’re down only 2 percent ($813 round-trip), but if you’re headed to Asia, ticket prices are up 4 percent from last fall ($1,417).
  
• Hotel rates have slipped but remain higher than last fall. The average room rate is $183 this fall, up 11 percent compared to this time in 2022, but down from summer highs of over $200 per night, says Hopper. 
• Car rental rates are falling. Preliminary booking data shows a 15 percent decline in the average car rental rate compared with last fall, says Mark Mannell, CEO of CarRentalSavers.com. Rental rates will average $45 a day, according to Hopper. But the lines at the counter may stay. “Agencies are still understaffed, and we have seen some long lines at locations that serve a lot of international travelers,” warns Mannell.

Overall, that’s good news. And there’s more: Travelers like Slaff, who are headed to Europe, won’t have to worry about paying the $7 fee to be charged by the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). It’s been postponed to early 2024.

So it’s a much better time to travel than this hyper-busy summer, as I explain in my free guide to fall travel. But what should you not do when you travel this autumn?

Don’t visit a summer destination and then complain when it is half shut down.

Some travelers try to outsmart the seasonal crowds by booking a traditional summer destination, like a beach, during the fall. Bad idea.  “A lot of people go to places like the Greek Islands and Amalfi Coast in October, when the prices reduce significantly,” says George Morgan-Grenville, CEO of Red Savannah, a tour operator. “But they often don’t realize that the tourist infrastructure is being dismantled for the winter. Many or all restaurants can be shut, beach clubs have closed, and the towns and villages are going on vacation themselves.”

Wait to book.

Travelers assume that they can wait until the last minute to book because it’s the off-season. But with demand still high, this is not the fall to try that, say experts like Duncan Greenfield-Turk, chief travel designer of Global Travel Moments. “Don’t procrastinate,” he says. “Availability may be limited during this vibrant travel season.” That’s particularly true of some of the more popular tourist destinations in France, Greece, Italy and Portugal.

Don’t schedule a tight connection and then complain.

Think all of our summer air travel troubles are over? Not so, says Bob Bacheler, the managing director of Flying Angels, a medical transport company. Airlines are not out of the woods; playing it safe with the holiday travel season approaching is better. Bacheler points out that, on average, a quarter of flights experience a delay. So there’s a reasonably good chance you’ll get delayed if you fly. “Any connection with less than one hour is asking for trouble,” he says. 

Vacation in a popular tourist attraction.

I know, I know. You put off your summer vacations because you wanted to see the Coliseum in Rome or climb to the top of the Eiffel Tower. But you might want to wait a little bit longer, says Nathan Heinrich, host of the I’m Moving To Italy! Podcast. “Areas that usually only fill during the summer months are expected to be overbooked this fall,” he says. He’s telling his listeners to head for less crowded places like Piemonte or the Prosecco Hills of northern Italy. He chooses ahead. He doesn’t complain.

Here’s the one thing you must not do when traveling this fall: Don’t complain.

Most importantly, don’t overlook your paperwork. It sounds boring, but it is anything but that when you have a paperwork problem.

Last week, my sons and I were almost denied entry into Vietnam. My son had filled out his visa incorrectly — he said his port of entry was Ho Chi Minh City instead of Da Nang — and they nearly turned us away at the border.

The truth is, no one wants to think about paperwork until they have to. And by then, it’s often too late. Whether it’s COVID test requirements on a cruise or your passport renewal, paperwork has never been more important. The State Department currently takes 10 to 13 weeks to process a new passport. That means if you don’t have a valid passport, your fall trip becomes a winter trip.

“Avoid waiting until the last minute to renew your passport,” says David Alwadish, CEO of ItsEasy Passport & Visa Services. Also, remember that for many popular fall destinations, you need at least six months of validity on your passport to get into the country. When you whine, it doesn’t help.

So, recheck your paperwork. Otherwise, you could end up like me: waiting nervously in a line at customs in Da Nang and hoping that the customs agent feels generous. 

Fortunately, she was.

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