October is a fantastic month to travel for a whole mess of reasons, but in terms of your budget, remember this: While hurricane season is finally winding down, flights to hurricane-endangered cities are still heavily discounted. But which are the biggest bargains of the lot? To find out, we turn once more to one of the best travel apps around, Hopper.
Hopper crunched data from millions of flights over the years and predicted which top destinations, both abroad and in the US, will have the steepest discounts in October. If you missed the opportunity to squeeze in an island vacation this summer, now’s your chance; if you’d rather stay dry there’s also a bunch of incredibly fun cities on the list that ain’t on a coast.
DOMESTIC
Oh, this is perfect. Aside from the fact that there’s an ever-expanding list of cool things to do in Austin (down 35%), this month’s discounted flights also coincide with the Austin City Limits Music Festival (October 4-6 and 11-13; tickets start at $105). Childish Gambino ... Cardi B. … Kacey Musgraves … Lizzo … The Cure … I’m actually a little mad I can’t go now, so we’re gonna move this along.
Journalistic ethics compel me to disclose here that I live in New York (down 28%), but objectively it is also a fact that Autumn In New York is a ~thing~. It’s beautiful here right now. Swamp-ass season lasted all the way through to the end of September, so you wouldn’t have wanted to be here even if flights last month had been fucking free. But no longer! Hit the Harvest Festival coming to Randall’s Island on October 6th, or just get out of town and take a hike upstate.
MORE: Check out Thrillist’s ultimate guide to New York City
1. Austin, Texas -- $201 (35%)
2. Fort Lauderdale, Florida -- $175 (32%)
3. New York City, New York -- $209 (28%)
4. Atlanta, Georgia -- $177 (27%)
5. Charleston, South Carolina -- $227 (24%)
6. San Diego, California -- $210 (23%)
7. Oakland, California -- $172 (22%)
8. San Antonio, Texas -- $224 (21%)
9. Charlotte, North Carolina -- $160 (21%)
10. Louisville, Kentucky -- $262 (21%)
INTERNATIONAL
My Thailand recommendation is that rather than limiting yourself solely to Bangkok (down 40%) you also head north, rent a scooter, and explore the streets of Chiang Mai. October marks the end of the rainy season and thus kicks off the ideal temperate weather for visiting this mountainous region, but if you’re looking for air that’s even brisker you’re very much in luck: It is now Northern Lights season (at least, now is the best time to see them), which means Reykjavik (down 42%) is an ideal city to top this list, both as its own destination and as a jumping-off point for exploring the rest of Iceland. You probably knew this was a great time to go because all of your friends are going, or else they’ve been already. Don’t be the only friend who hasn’t been to Iceland.
MORE: Why you should turn your Iceland trip into a Greenland trip
1. Reykjavik, Iceland -- $516 (42%)
2. Bangkok, Thailand -- $482 (40%)
3. Cancun, Mexico -- $369 (36%)
4. Medellin, Colombia -- $407 (33%)
5. Seoul, South Korea -- $479 (32%)
6. Melbourne, Australia -- $1,022 (32%)
7. Osaka, Japan -- $594 (31%)
8. Shanghai, China -- $428 (28%)
9. Munich, Germany -- $727 (28%)
10. San Jose, Costa Rica -- $320 (26%)
Hopper’s fare predictions are 95% accurate, so if you trust condoms you can certainly trust Hopper. To nab these prices you can download their app, plug in the destinations you’re interested in, and add your preferred dates. Then… that’s pretty much it. Hopper will send you notifications when prices for your ideal flight sink to their lowest, i.e., when the moment is just right for you to book. If that’s simply too easy and you don’t know what to do with all the extra time you now have on your hands, here are some other sites that’ll help you save money on flights.
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