Travel season extends into fall

The summer travel season, which finally rebounding after a five-year slump, is expected to transition into an abundant fall. And travelers looking for bargains to Europe or Hawaii are likely to find them.

Advance bookings for travel from September to November are up 23 percent over a year ago, according to AAA, the country’s largest travel agency.

And even though airfares are increasing because of fuel costs, that’s not likely to dissuade people from planning trips.

“It used to be that once the end of August was upon us, that was it … the season was over,” says Paul Kloetzel of O’Brien Travel in San Jose, Calif.

“But people in recent years have discovered that September and October are neat times to be in Europe. Crowds are down, the weather is decent and there are a lot of festivals that seem to take place at that time.”

Destinations such as Hawaii, Mexico and the Caribbean are also popular, travel experts say. Flight bookings to Hawaii this fall are up 23 percent compared to last year and 30 percent to the Caribbean, reports Sabre Airline Solutions, an industry consultant.

Right now, packages – those that include air and hotel, plus other perks such as transfers or daily breakfast – are probably a better deal than planning your own trip, given the rise in airfares.

In a recent survey commissioned by Expedia.com, 85 percent of respondents said they would be willing to put off travel until the fall if they knew they could save money.

They can. Here are some deals we found:

•A six-night London package, including air from San Jose and hotel, for $849 per person on Go-today.com for travel starting Nov. 1.

•A five-day Hawaii package, available in September, for $465 per person through Travelzoo.com, including airfare from the Bay Area, hotel and transfers.

•A four-night Bahamas cruise, departing from Miami, for travel in September and October, for $199 per person on Expedia.com. That’s a savings of more than $200 per couple compared to peak-season prices.