While most of the U.S. is still surviving high temps and enjoying sunny summer days, Labor Day will kick off the fall travel season in just a few weeks. Tripadvisor released its 2022 Fall Travel Index to reveal what and where is hot for American travelers this upcoming season.

The study, which is based on a combination of Tripadvisor’s first party search and proprietary consumer sentiment data, shows that while the busy summer travel season is coming to an end, Americans' appetite for vacations is not over. Nearly two-thirds of U.S. respondents (61%) say that they are planning a fall trip this year, even if how they travel might change.

Despite inflation, travel demand remains high

Transitioning from summer into fall, there are no indicators that travel demand, based on recent sentiment surveys, will subside any time soon amongst global travelers, especially Americans.

The Tripadvisor Fall Index survey indicates that nearly four out of ten (37%) Americans still intend to travel as planned this fall, regardless of inflation. This marks an increase from the previous summer survey released in May 2022, which indicated that 32% of Americans still intended to travel as planned. Globally, Tripadvisor has seen a similar increase from the same summer survey: 30% of travelers surveyed said they intend to travel as planned from June through August, with an increase of 34% saying they intend to travel as planned (from September through November), despite rising costs. While travel is seasonal, the month-over-month sentiment analysis further underscores that consumers still desire to travel despite inflation and fuel costs.

Because of the pent up demand for vacation stemming from several years of pandemic restrictions keeping travelers close to home, Americans are cutting back elsewhere to ensure they can still budget a getaway. Half of Americans (50%) said that they plan to travel more this fall than they did during the same period last year and two thirds (66%) plan to spend more.

Cost of living crisis: Americanswill still travel, albeit a bit differently

The Tripadvisor Fall Travel Index indicates that spiraling costs won’t deter Americans from traveling this upcoming season. More than one third (35%) will likely travel for shorter lengths of time and almost one quarter (24%) said that they will likely travel somewhere closer to home than previously planned.

Just as they are globally, continuously rising costs are prompting American consumers to alter their spending habits, inclusive of adjusting their travel plans. Two thirds (66%) of Americans ranked ‘Cost/Affordability’ as the priority criteria in the trip planning process and 45% say ‘Price’ influenced their travel dates, demonstrating that while travel is still on the books, further indicating inflation is top of mind.

Domestic travel reigns supreme, but long-haul flights are back

In keeping with the global trend indicated by this season's Tripadvisor Travel Index, domestic trips remain the number one choice among US travelers; more than four-fifths (81%) of Americans and almost two-thirds (60%) of global travelers surveyed will opt for domestic travel this fall.

The top domestic destinations for this fall, as revealed by Tripadvisor site data are:

1. Las Vegas, Nevada*
2. New York, New York*
3. Orlando, Florida*
4. Honolulu, Hawaii*
5. Lahaina, Hawaii
6. Key West, Florida
7. Nashville, Tennessee*
8. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina*
9. New Orleans, Louisiana
10. Miami Beach, Florida*

(*Indicates cities that were also top 2021 domestic destinations)

However, a compelling trend rises to the top: long-haul air travel is back. Of those surveyed, more than 40% of American travelers will travel more than seven hours and nearly half (49%) plan to travel by plane. Also, more than half (56%) of Americans plan to take a trip of at least four nights this fall - one third (33%) plan to travel five or more nights - and Tripadvisor search underscores travel around the Labor Day holiday weekend to be the most popular time to get away. In comparison to the Fall 2021 Travel index which indicated that 68% of US travelers surveyed last year opted for staycation-style travel close to home accessible by car or train, this year’s Fall Travel Index clearly indicates that Americans are ready for major trips.

Americans crave sunshine: Mexico, Vegas & the Caribbean top the charts; Italy boasts the most trending destinations

The verdict is in: the perennial Mexican resort favorite, Cancun, is the most popular destination among Americans traveling this fall. Entertainment and nightlife mecca, Las Vegas, came out on top for the most searched domestic US destinations.

Of the locations which have seen the biggest year-on-year increase in searches on Tripadvisor by Americans for travel this fall, the dreamy Caribbean destination Turks & Caicos is at number one. Narrowing in on Labor Day weekend travel, Nayarit, Mexico, on Mexico’s scenic Pacific Coast just north of Puerto Vallarta, tops the list for strongest year of year growth.

It’s no illusion that everyone on your Instagram feed was in Italy this summer: the Mediterranean country continues to dominate the top trending destinations this fall, with the picturesque cities Como, Monterosso al Mare, Amalfi and Sorrento among the top fifteen growing destinations for Americans this season. The emergence of trending destinations across the EU and APAC among US travelers this fall is credited largely to COVID-related travel restrictions relaxing, allowing for greater ease of travel.

What entices Americans to travel? Food and activities

When it comes to the most exciting components of a trip, the Tripadvisor Fall Travel Index revealed that the top five picks for Americans are food (54%), activities (52%), followed by people and scenery tied for third (48%) and weather (40%).

Almost one third (32%) said that the primary purpose of their trip is to enjoy dining and nightlife and nearly one quarter (24%) have booked restaurant reservations in advance.

With Americans indicating that the destination is the most memorable part of a trip, below Tripadvisor breaks down the top ten trending destinations for U.S. travelers this fall, along with a top-rated restaurant and experience to be had there.

Top Overall Trending Destinations for Fall

Fastest growing based on year over year growth

Source: TripAdvisor

The data cited in this release was gathered and analyzed from two key sources:

• A Tripadvisor Consumer Sentiment Survey, based on data drawn from an online survey of over 2,700 consumers, in partnership with Qualtrics, conducted between July 6, 2022 through July 22, 2022 across six countries - U.S., U.K., Australia, Italy, Singapore and Japan
• Site behavioral data sourced from first party traffic data on the Tripadvisor platform, gathered during the week commencing July 4, 2022, for searches made by U.S. travelers from June 1, 2022 through June 30, 2022 for travel between September 1, 2022 through November 30, 2022