OCTOBER TRAVEL COLUMN - Top Destinations for Fall 2014

Top Domestic Destinations for Fall 2014

Fall is officially here and savvy travelers recognize that the season is not only one of the best for sheer value, but there are also typically fewer crowds.

Nevertheless, travel bookings for this fall are actually up year over year, according to a recent survey of 1,054 travel agents associated with Travel Leaders Group, the nation’s largest traditional travel agency company. In Travel Leaders’ Fall Travel Trends, 60.2% of the agents polled said that their bookings were higher than last year, while another 28.6% said they were even.

Orlando reclaims the number one spot for autumn as 34.3% of the surveyed agents said that the home for Walt Disney World is among their five top domestic destinations they’re booking for fall. The hot new attraction in Disney’s Magic Kingdom is the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, an adventurous family coaster that promises a “first-of-its-kind ride system that swings up and down large lifts, cruises across sharp banks and swaying around exhilarating hairpin turns.” No wonder Disney describes it as “the rockingest, rollingest, twistiest train ride ever.”

In October, Walt Disney World’s Epcot Center bids farewell to the Maelstrom ride to make way for a new attraction based on the hit movie “Frozen.” While visitors to Epcot will have to wait until 2016 for that crowd-pleaser to open, they can enjoy that park’s new Epcot Food & Wine Festival, now through November 10.

Of course, Orlando is not the only popular fall destination. Rounding out the top ten are Las Vegas (#2), Maui (#3), New York City (#4), Honolulu (#5), San Francisco (#6), Chicago (#7), Los Angeles (#8), Washington (#9) and Boston (#10).

While Las Vegas dropped a notch out of the top spot on the fall survey, autumn is the perfect time to visit, especially as cooler – yet still warm – temperatures there allow for more outdoor time. Many hotels now feature al fresco offerings. A great example is The LINQ – a new outdoor entertainment, dining and shopping district that’s centrally located along the famous Las Vegas Strip. The LINQ includes the High Roller, billed as the “World’s Tallest Observation Wheel” at 550 feet tall.

Hawaii’s lush island of Maui may rank third on the list for fall, but that’s because the surveyed agents identified four individual places throughout the Valley Isle as particularly popular. So popular is the island known for its quaint villages and artist communities that readers of Condé Nast Traveler have continually named it the best island for close to two decades. The most popular area is Lahaina/Kaanapali/Kapalua, which is populated with some of the island’s leading hotels and restaurants. The areas around Kahului, Wailea and Maken/Kihel were also named by the agents.

At number four, New York City is a great destination anytime of the year, but it’s hard to beat in the fall. It’s also the place to be in the lead-up to the end of year when iconic holiday cheer is eagerly dispensed throughout Manhattan – whether it’s visiting Radio City Music Hall for the annual Christmas Spectacular beginning November 7 or taking in the holiday tree at nearby Rockefeller Center.

Honolulu rounds out the top five domestic destinations. Certainly no visit to Honolulu is complete without a stroll along Waikiki Beach. But history also abounds, especially on December 7 – the anniversary of the 1941 bombing of Pearl Harbor that brought the United States into World War II. Visitors can pay their respects through a poignant journey to the site of the submerged USS Arizona. The best time to visit the Memorial is in the early morning before tour buses arrive.

To visit any of these outstanding domestic destinations this fall – or any other time – contact your Donovan Travel professional at 401-942-7700 or www.donovantravel.com.

Europe’s Top International Destinations for Fall 2014

What’s the best time of the year to travel to Europe for the greatest value while temperatures are still relatively warm? Travel experts agree that it’s one of two shoulder seasons – spring and fall. So it’s no wonder that this autumn, five of the top ten international destinations that have already been booked are in Europe (the other five are in the Caribbean).

According to a recent survey of 1,054 travel agents associated with Travel Leaders Group, the nation’s largest traditional travel agency company, those European destinations that are most popular this fall include London, England (#3); Rome, Italy (#4); European river cruises (#5); European Mediterranean cruises (#6); and Paris, France (#7). For the record, the rest of the top ten includes Caribbean cruises (#1); Cancun, Mexico (#2); Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (#8); Montego Bay, Jamaica (#9); and Playa del Carmen and the Riviera Maya in Mexico (#10).

Fall is an excellent time of year to visit London, because of event-worthy openings taking place through the remainder of the year. While this European cultural capital bustles year-round, this November emphasis is placed on the king of culture, otherwise known affectionately as the Bard – William Shakespeare. The Royal Shakespeare Company offers Henry IV – Parts I and II at the Barbican, while a stage adaptation of the Academy Award-winning Best Picture of 1998, “Shakespeare in Love” opens. Also opening this year is the Shard – Europe’s tallest building – situated on the south side of the Thames River; the Shard’s Shangri-La Hotel offers dramatic and sweeping views of the United Kingdom capital that had previously been reserved for visitors to the London Eye, a giant Ferris wheel that opened at the dawn of the new millennium.

If you’re looking for a Roman holiday, autumn is the best time to savor the “Eternal City,” especially as the summer crowds have given way to a much less frenetic atmosphere. Rome’s sophistication and style, excellent cuisine (Thursday is the traditional gnocchi day) and ancient marvels (like the Colosseum and the Pantheon) all continue to captivate. But it also serves as the gateway to Vatican City, a walled enclave surrounded by Rome and ruled by the Bishop of Rome, Pope Francis. Yet it is notable for being the smallest internationally recognized independent state in the world. Whether you wish to experience Sistine Chapel and St. Peter’s Basilica or want to enjoy an audience with the Pope (Wednesdays are the day to plan your visit), fall visits afford some of the best opportunities without its notoriously massive crowds.

If you’re more interested in seeing many of Europe’s cities both within its interior and along the continent’s Mediterranean shores, cruises offer a very popular option during autumn. As river cruising continues to boom – European river cruises have leapfrogged over Mediterranean cruising to number five – the fall is an exceptional time of year to enjoy this culturally rich experience, particularly with themed cruises built around the Christmas markets. Like river cruising, Mediterranean cruises allow travelers the luxury of only having to unpack once while seeing the world go by quite literally from their staterooms.

Although Cole Porter famously wrote “I Love Paris (in the Springtime),” the change of color here in the fall is every bit as lovely. Now that most Parisians are back from their long August holidays, the City of Lights (or La Ville-Lumière) truly comes alive in the fall, most notably with its Festival Ile-de-France that celebrates the end of summer with concerts spread all over Paris at venues selected for their beauty and cultural significance. As one of the world’s most beautiful cities, Paris is beckoning you to visit in the off-season.

To learn more about these and other European options for fall, talk with your Donovan Travel professional at 401-942-7700 or www.donovantravel.com.