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  • 5 months ago
Fall may be the best time of year to travel, with smaller crowds, better prices, and cooler weather—not to mention, unique annual festivals you won’t want to miss. From the world’s biggest hot air balloon event and ancient Greek islands to tropical vacations that become more affordable during shoulder season, here are seven unique fall trips worth putting on your radar.

CHAPTERS
0:00 – Intro
0:46 – The World’s Biggest Hot Air Balloon Festival
1:17 – A Greek Island That Feels Like Stepping Back 2,000 Years
1:53 – Castles, Foliage, and Sparkling Wine in the U.K.
2:20 – A Bucket-List Island at Its Best Value in Fall
2:44 – Why Fall Is San Francisco’s Best Travel Season
3:04 – A Lesser-Known Marathon Through the Serengeti
3:30 – Stargazing in One of Canada’s Most Beautiful National Parks
3:56 – Outro

Find even more of our favorite fall travel ideas: https://www.afar.com/travel-inspiration/where-to-go-next/where-to-go-in-fall
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CREDITS
Tiana Attride - Host; Afar Senior Editor, Social and Video
Stephanie Cherng - Video Editor
Elizabeth See - Senior Designer
Sarika Bansal - Editorial Director
Michelle Heimerman - Photo Director

MUSIC
Cozy Instrumental - Sarah Kang
Miracle - Ezzy

FOOTAGE / PHOTOGRAPHY
Shutterstock, iStock

Category

🏖
Travel
Transcript
00:00Summers travels hottest season in more ways than one and while Labor Day traditionally marks the
00:04end of vacation season smart travelers know that fall with its smaller crowds cooler weather and
00:09better prices may actually be the best time of year for a trip. Today we've got seven unique
00:14fall travel ideas from a Greek island that feels like traveling 2,000 years back in time and the
00:19world's largest hot air balloon festival to one of the biggest stargazing spots on earth as well
00:24as a retreat in the English countryside where you can gather around King Arthur's Round Table.
00:28Before we get started today's video is sponsored by Visit Myrtle Beach.
00:32I want you to take the next few seconds and picture yourself in Myrtle Beach. You're warm,
00:37relaxed and incredibly content. Now let's get you there. Head to visitmyrtlebeach.com to start
00:43planning your trip today. Want to watch hundreds of hot air balloons take to the sky all at once?
00:48Each October the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta fills the skies above New Mexico's capital
00:53with all kinds of colorful shapes and sizes. What started in 1972 with just 13 participants
00:58has since grown to become the biggest hot air balloon festival in the world. Beyond the balloons,
01:02the fairgrounds are filled with classics, funnel cakes, local crafts and food stuffed with New
01:06Mexico's signature and unskippable hatch green chilies. And with fall temperatures that dip down
01:11into the 50s, it's also the perfect season for a road trip to White Sands National Park just three
01:16and a half hours south. Next on our list is an island in Greece where farmers have been tending the same
01:20trees since ancient times. And today you can taste what they've spent more than 2,000 years perfecting. The Greek
01:26islands are packed in summer but delay your trip by just a few weeks and you'll have a different
01:30experience. Come fall, Hyos, Greece's fifth largest island and one far less crowded than Santorini or
01:36Mykonos, is one of the only places on earth where you can watch the harvest of mastic, an aromic resin
01:41that's been used for cooking, digestive health and breath freshening since the 5th century BCE. Stick
01:46around to try the sweet namesake liqueur made from it and visit the local village of Cambos known for its
01:50old mansions, cafes and citrus orchards. Across the pond, the English countryside is the perfect
01:56place to spot fall foliage and embrace the season's cozy nature. Look for golden yellow
02:00rowan trees dotted with red berries and beaches turning russet brown. If you're visiting in October,
02:05head to Sussex where vineyards host lively harvest festivals and you can sample sparkling wines that
02:10rival champagne. And in Somerset, don't skip Cadbury Castle, rumored to be the site of the legendary
02:15Camelot. Whether that's true is left to myth, but the pub at the fort's base that borrows its name is
02:20very real. If your ideal fall trip involves the beach, you're in luck. One iconic postcard perfect
02:25getaway is at its best this time of year. While summertime in Tahiti is heavenly, the high season
02:30prices can put a damper on paradise. Instead, common fall just after the crowds clear but before winter's
02:35rainy season sets in for the sweet spot. Book your trip for September or October and you'll find a
02:40small window of time when this dream destination is at its best in every measure. Don't tell the tourists,
02:46but Bay Area locals know there's a few weeks a year when San Francisco's famously
02:50unpredictable weather turns perfect, staying warm and sunny instead of cycling through four seasons
02:54in a day. That moment is in fall. This is also festival season when the streets are filled with
02:59music parades and neighborhood events that feel like a callback to the city's counterculture roots
03:03and free spirit of the 1960s. San Francisco may be filled with party animals in fall, but if you'd
03:08rather spot real ones in the wild, autumn is the time to cross an African safari off your bucket list.
03:14This time of year in Tanzania's famous Serengeti National Park isn't just about wildlife sightings,
03:19though. In mid-November, the annual Serengeti Safari Marathon gives you a chance to run wild with the
03:24animals. Expect to see zebras, giraffes, and buffalo along the route with entry fees supporting
03:28conservation and anti-poaching efforts. In the wilds of Canada, fall promises some of the planet's
03:34most dazzling stargazing. Every October, Jasper National Park in Alberta hosts its Dark Sky Festival
03:39to celebrate its status as the world's fourth biggest dark sky preserve. Thanks to a lack of man-made
03:44light pollution, here the Milky Way is often visible to the naked eye. Come for expert-led stargazing,
03:49nighttime photography tours, guided hikes where you'll learn about the park's nocturnal wildlife,
03:54and even a live symphony under the stars. These are just a few of our favorite fall escapes,
03:58but now we want to hear from you. Have you visited any of these spots? What autumn-ready places did we
04:03miss, and where are you headed this year? Let us know in the comments, and if we helped you find some
04:07travel inspiration, don't forget to like and subscribe. Happy travels, and we'll catch you next time.
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