Record autumn travel costs increase popularity of budget-friendly destinations
Travellers are gearing up for what could be one of the most expensive autumn travel seasons to date, with average trip costs up over 30% compared with this time last year
Analysing traveller spending and survey data from thousands of travel insurance policies purchased for trips this autumn, US travel insurance marketplace Squaremouth has revealed how rising trip costs are affecting traveller behaviour.
Link between high trip costs and traveller concerns
More than half of surveyed travellers are spending more on travel this autumn, with an average trip cost of US$7,600. The average cost of international travel, specifically, has risen to $8,100, up 38% from last year.
Higher trip costs can also mean bigger financial losses, leading to increasing traveller concerns over protecting their autumn trips with insurance. According to Squaremouth, 77% of surveyed travellers said that they were more or equally concerned about protecting their trip costs this autumn compared with in previous years.
Affordable autumn destinations
As the cost of travel continues to rise, Squaremouth’s data shows that travellers are actively seeking out more affordable destinations for autumn. This year, eight out of the top 10 popular autumn destinations have trip costs below the overall season average.
Below are the most popular affordable autumn destinations this year for US travellers, based on insured trip costs.
| Destination | Average trip cost |
| Bahamas | $3,012 |
| Dominican Republic | $3,315 |
| Mexico | $3,331 |
| Philippines | $3,362 |
| Bermuda | $3,859 |
| Aruba | $3,880 |
| Jamaica | $3,946 |
| Puerto Rico | $4,407 |
| Belize | $4,496 |
| Costa Rica | $4,523 |
Squaremouth recently highlighted key areas causing worry among travellers as we enter the new travel season.