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For decades, July and August have dominated the holiday calendar. Families rushed to airports, beaches filled to capacity, hotel prices climbed, and Europe’s most famous cities often became difficult to enjoy. But something is changing.
September is no longer simply the month when summer ends and schools reopen. For a growing number of travellers, it is becoming the moment when the real holiday season begins.
The weather across Southern Europe can remain beautifully warm, the biggest summer crowds begin to disappear, and flights that were painfully expensive only weeks earlier may suddenly become far more affordable. Add festivals, cultural events and a slower pace of travel, and September starts to look less like the end of summer and more like its second chapter.
New travel data highlighted by ABTA and eSky suggests that this shift is becoming increasingly visible. Travellers are discovering that delaying a holiday by a few weeks can sometimes deliver a completely different experience, one with more space, more flexibility and potentially more value for money.
The Rise of “Super September”
ABTA’s Travel Trends 2026 report identifies what it calls the growing “Super September” phenomenon, reflecting increasing interest in travelling abroad after the traditional peak summer season.
The numbers show a gradual but meaningful change in traveller behaviour. In 2023, around 17% of travellers said they intended to take an overseas holiday in September. That figure increased to 23% in 2024 and reached 24% in 2025.
At first glance, a one-percentage-point increase may not appear dramatic. But the broader trend tells a more interesting story. Compared with 2023, September holiday intentions had risen significantly within only two years.
That suggests travellers are not simply making random decisions about when to take a break. They may be actively reconsidering the traditional travel calendar.
For years, peak summer travel was treated almost as a fixed rule. If you wanted sunshine, beaches and Mediterranean temperatures, July and August were considered the obvious choices.
Today, that assumption is weakening.
September offers many of the same attractions, but potentially without some of the disadvantages that have become associated with peak-season tourism.
Why Travellers Are Moving Away From Peak Summer
The modern traveller is becoming increasingly aware of the price of travelling during the busiest weeks of the year.
During peak summer, demand for flights, accommodation, rental cars and tourist experiences can rise sharply. Popular destinations can become crowded, restaurants may require reservations days in advance, and major attractions can involve long queues.
For some travellers, the holiday begins to feel less like an escape and more like a logistical challenge.
September changes that equation.
The school holiday rush begins to fade, many families return home, and destinations gradually move into what the travel industry calls the shoulder season.
The shoulder season refers to the period immediately before or after a destination’s busiest travel months. It can offer a balance between the advantages of high season and the lower demand of quieter periods.
Travellers may still find warm weather and active cities, while potentially benefiting from fewer visitors and lower prices.
That combination is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore.
September Is Becoming a Strategic Travel Month
According to eSky, European travellers are showing a clear shift in how they approach the beginning of the shoulder season.
Marcin Starkowski, Group PR Manager at the online travel agency, pointed to increasing demand for September travel and described the month as an attractive combination of favourable weather, potentially lower prices, fewer crowds and greater flexibility.
The company reported a 57% year-on-year increase in September bookings.
That figure reflects something larger than a temporary travel trend.
Consumers are becoming more strategic.
Instead of automatically booking holidays around the traditional summer calendar, many travellers are comparing dates, monitoring flight prices and searching for periods where demand is lower.
Travel planning is becoming more data-driven.
A traveller who can move a holiday from July to September may be able to spend less money on transport while still enjoying sunshine and warm temperatures.
For people with flexible work schedules, remote jobs or fewer school-related travel restrictions, the advantages can be even greater.
Spain Takes the Crown for September Travel
According to
Greece followed with 17%, while Italy represented 10%.
Türkiye accounted for 6.5%, followed by Bulgaria at 6%.
These destinations share several characteristics.
They offer coastlines, historic cities, cultural attractions and climates that can remain attractive well into early autumn.
September Booking Preferences
Spain, 27.9%
Greece, 17%
Italy, 10%
Türkiye, 6.5%
Bulgaria, 6%
The popularity of these countries shows that travellers are not necessarily abandoning the classic Mediterranean holiday.
Instead, they are changing the timing.
The beach holiday, the city break and the cultural escape are all being pushed later into the calendar.
Spain Offers an Extension of Summer
Spain appears particularly well positioned to benefit from the September travel shift.
The country offers a remarkable variety of experiences. Travellers can move between Mediterranean beaches, Atlantic coastlines, historic cities, mountain regions and major cultural centres.
In September, the extreme intensity of the peak holiday season begins to soften.
Cities such as Madrid and Barcelona can become easier to explore as the largest summer crowds gradually disappear. Coastal destinations may still offer conditions suitable for swimming and outdoor activities, depending on the region and weather patterns.
For travellers, this creates a powerful alternative.
They do not necessarily have to choose between a hot summer holiday and a cooler autumn city break.
September can offer elements of both.
Flight Prices Can Change Dramatically After Summer
One of the strongest arguments for travelling later in the season is price.
According to eSky data for flights departing from Brussels, several Spanish destinations showed substantial fare reductions when comparing July with September.
Flights to Malaga dropped from €278 in July to €148 in September, representing a decline of 46.8%.
Valencia saw a more modest decrease, falling from €241 to €217, or around 10%.
Madrid experienced a significant drop from €219 to €114, representing a reduction of 47.9%.
The most dramatic decline in the examples provided was Asturias, including the Oviedo area, where fares fell from €299 in July to €106 in September, a reduction of 64.5%.
These figures demonstrate an important reality about modern travel.
The destination may remain the same, but the price can change dramatically depending on the week a traveller chooses.
A shift of several weeks can sometimes have a larger financial impact than changing the destination entirely.
Malaga Becomes More Accessible After the Summer Rush
Malaga is one of
During the height of summer, strong demand can push transportation and accommodation costs upward.
By September, demand may begin to ease.
According to the eSky figures, the example fare from Brussels to Malaga fell by almost 47% between July and September.
For travellers who want Mediterranean weather without the highest peak-season prices, this type of difference can significantly influence travel decisions.
The money saved on flights could potentially be redirected toward accommodation, restaurants, local experiences or a longer stay.
Madrid Shows the Financial Power of Flexible Travel Dates
Madrid offers a different type of September opportunity.
Unlike a traditional beach destination, the Spanish capital depends heavily on cultural attractions, museums, restaurants and urban experiences.
Summer temperatures can be intense, while September can provide a more comfortable period for exploring the city.
The reported fare decline from €219 to €114 also highlights the financial advantage of avoiding the busiest travel period.
For a solo traveller, the savings may be useful.
For a family or group, the difference can become even more significant when multiplied across several tickets.
This is where flexible travel planning becomes a financial strategy rather than simply a lifestyle preference.
Asturias Delivers the Biggest Price Drop
The Asturias example is perhaps the most striking.
According to the data, fares fell from €299 in July to €106 in September, representing a reduction of 64.5%.
Northern Spain offers a different atmosphere from the Mediterranean coast.
Asturias is known for dramatic landscapes, coastal scenery, green mountains and strong regional traditions.
September can be particularly attractive for travellers who prefer outdoor experiences and cultural exploration over the intense heat associated with southern Spain during peak summer.
The price difference also demonstrates why travellers should avoid assuming that the cheapest destination is always the best choice.
Sometimes the real saving comes from changing the date.
Valencia Shows That Savings Are Not Guaranteed Everywhere
Not every route experiences a dramatic decline.
The Valencia example showed a smaller reduction, with fares moving from €241 in July to €217 in September.
This is an important reminder.
Shoulder season travel does not automatically mean that every flight will become dramatically cheaper.
Prices are influenced by demand, airline capacity, events, booking timing, competition and route-specific factors.
Travellers should therefore compare dates rather than assume that September will always deliver the lowest fare.
Flexibility is powerful, but research remains essential.
September Is Also Festival Season in Spain
Lower prices are only one part of
Spain’s cultural calendar remains active long after the traditional summer holiday season begins to fade.
In Barcelona, La Mercè is one of the city’s most significant annual celebrations.
The event transforms the city with parades, cultural performances, fireworks and the famous castellers, or human towers.
For visitors, this creates a very different travel experience from simply booking a hotel near the beach.
September can combine tourism with local culture.
Travellers can explore museums during the day and experience major celebrations in the evening.
The result is a holiday that can feel more connected to the identity of the destination.
Asturias Celebrates Its Connection With America
Asturias also offers cultural events that can add another dimension to a September trip.
America Day celebrations highlight the historical relationship between the region and emigrants who travelled to the Americas.
The events include colourful parades, floats, folk groups and community celebrations.
These festivals demonstrate another reason why the shoulder season is becoming more attractive.
Travellers are increasingly searching for experiences rather than simply temperatures.
A holiday is no longer judged only by how close the hotel is to the beach.
Culture, food, local events and authenticity are becoming part of the decision-making process.
Greece Continues to Attract Late-Season Sun Seekers
Greece ranked second in eSky’s September booking data, attracting 17% of the company’s travellers.
The appeal is easy to understand.
The country combines islands, beaches, ancient history, Mediterranean food and warm early-autumn conditions.
For travellers who can avoid July and August, September can offer a different version of Greece.
The islands may feel less congested, while major tourist areas can become easier to navigate.
However, travellers should remember that weather and tourism conditions can vary significantly between islands and regions.
The Greek travel experience is not identical everywhere.
A flexible itinerary and careful planning can make a significant difference.
Italy Remains a Powerful Cultural Alternative
Italy accounted for 10% of September bookings in the data.
The country offers a powerful mix of historic cities, coastal destinations, lakes, food and regional culture.
September can be particularly attractive because travellers may be able to combine multiple experiences within a single trip.
A visitor could explore a major city, travel through wine regions, visit the coast and still enjoy outdoor dining.
The shift toward shoulder-season travel is therefore not only about saving money.
It is also about expanding the type of trip a traveller can realistically enjoy.
Türkiye and Bulgaria Benefit From the Search for Value
Türkiye and Bulgaria also appeared among the top September destinations.
Türkiye represented 6.5% of
Both destinations can appeal to travellers looking for a combination of affordability, culture and coastal experiences.
As travel costs become a larger consideration for households, destinations that can provide competitive prices may become increasingly attractive.
The Mediterranean and surrounding regions are no longer competing only on sunshine.
They are competing on value.
And value is becoming one of the most important words in the global travel industry.
The Traveller Has Changed
The rise of September tourism reflects a broader transformation in consumer behaviour.
Today’s traveller has access to price comparison platforms, airline alerts, social media recommendations and travel data.
People can compare dozens of destinations in minutes.
They can monitor prices for specific dates and discover alternatives that may not have been considered in the past.
This access to information is making travellers more flexible.
Instead of asking, “Where should I go in August?” they may now ask, “When is the best time to visit this destination?”
That is a much more powerful question.
The End of the Traditional Holiday Calendar
For decades, the travel industry was structured around predictable waves.
Summer holidays meant July and August.
Winter escapes meant Christmas and New Year.
Spring and autumn were considered secondary.
That structure is beginning to change.
Remote work has made some travel schedules more flexible.
Rising prices are encouraging consumers to search for alternatives.
Climate conditions are influencing when people feel comfortable visiting certain destinations.
And overcrowding is making travellers question whether the traditional peak season is always the best time to travel.
September is benefiting from all of these changes simultaneously.
Climate Could Also Influence Travel Patterns
Another factor may become increasingly important in future travel decisions.
Some travellers are becoming more conscious of extreme summer temperatures.
During periods of intense heat, sightseeing can become uncomfortable and outdoor activities may become less enjoyable.
A destination that is perfect in September may feel exhausting in the middle of July.
This could encourage more travellers to move their trips into spring or autumn.
The result may be a longer tourism season rather than a simple shift from one month to another.
Destinations that once depended heavily on a short summer window could benefit from visitors arriving over a wider period.
More Tourists, But Spread Across More Months
The growth of shoulder-season travel could create an interesting opportunity for destinations struggling with overcrowding.
If travellers spread their trips across more months, the pressure on infrastructure may become less concentrated.
Hotels, restaurants and local businesses could potentially benefit from a longer period of demand.
Tourist attractions may become easier to manage.
Visitors may enjoy a more comfortable experience.
Of course, success is not guaranteed.
A longer tourism season can also create new pressure on local communities and resources.
The challenge for governments and tourism authorities will be to manage growth rather than simply celebrate higher visitor numbers.
Why Fewer Crowds Can Completely Change a Holiday
There is a major difference between visiting a famous destination and actually experiencing it.
During peak season, a traveller may spend hours standing in queues, searching for restaurant reservations or navigating crowded streets.
The destination is still beautiful, but the experience can become exhausting.
During September, the atmosphere may change.
A museum may feel calmer.
A restaurant may have more availability.
A beach may offer more space.
A city street may feel like a place to explore rather than a crowd to escape.
This emotional difference is difficult to measure with statistics, but it can strongly influence whether travellers return.
The Financial Psychology of Shoulder Season Travel
Lower prices do more than save money.
They can change how travellers behave during a trip.
A person who spends less on a flight may be more willing to book an experience.
A family that saves money on accommodation may extend its stay.
A traveller who avoids peak-season prices may feel less pressure to follow a strict schedule.
In this sense, affordability can improve the quality of the holiday.
The value is not simply in spending less.
The value is in gaining more freedom.
Travel Companies Are Paying Attention
The growing popularity of September is unlikely to go unnoticed by airlines, hotels and online travel agencies.
As demand increases, companies may adjust pricing strategies.
This creates an important contradiction.
The more popular September becomes, the more some of its traditional advantages may begin to disappear.
If millions of additional travellers start choosing the same month, lower prices and quieter destinations may become less guaranteed.
That means
The smartest travellers may therefore need to become even more flexible.
The Future Could Belong to Flexible Travellers
The real lesson from the “Super September” trend is not that everyone should travel in September.
It is that travellers should question traditional assumptions.
The best holiday date may not be the one everyone else chooses.
The best destination may not be the cheapest on a particular weekend.
And the best travel experience may come from moving a trip by only a few weeks.
Flexibility is becoming one of the most valuable tools in travel planning.
What Undercode Say:
September is becoming more than a quiet period between the summer rush and the arrival of autumn.
It is developing into a strategic travel window.
The data suggests that travellers are learning to challenge the traditional holiday calendar.
For decades, peak season was treated as the premium period.
But premium prices do not always create a premium experience.
A crowded airport does not feel luxurious.
A packed beach does not always feel relaxing.
A two-hour queue does not improve a holiday simply because the trip happened in July.
September changes the calculation.
Travellers may still find warm weather.
They may still enjoy beaches and outdoor activities.
They may still experience the same famous cities.
But they can sometimes do so with less financial pressure.
The strongest advantage is not simply cheaper flights.
It is flexibility.
Flexibility allows travellers to compare multiple departure dates.
Flexibility allows them to avoid the most expensive weekends.
Flexibility allows them to explore alternative airports.
Flexibility can turn a high-cost trip into a more realistic holiday.
The 57% increase in September bookings reported by eSky is particularly interesting.
It suggests that consumer behaviour may be changing faster than the traditional tourism calendar.
But there is also a warning.
As September becomes more popular, the month could gradually lose some of the advantages that made it attractive.
Higher demand can push prices upward.
Popular destinations may begin to experience new crowding patterns.
Airlines may identify the demand and adjust their pricing.
Hotels may also reduce discounts.
This means travellers should not blindly replace August with September.
They should compare specific dates.
They should monitor prices.
They should examine local events.
They should consider weather patterns.
They should also look beyond the most famous destinations.
The next phase of travel may not be about discovering new countries.
It may be about discovering better timing.
Tourism companies should also pay close attention.
The shoulder season is becoming economically important.
A longer season can support hotels and local businesses beyond the traditional summer rush.
However, destinations need to avoid repeating the mistakes of peak tourism.
More visitors are not automatically better visitors.
Sustainable tourism requires infrastructure.
It requires planning.
It requires respect for local communities.
The September trend may also reveal a deeper consumer mindset.
People are becoming less interested in following the calendar.
They are becoming more interested in maximizing value.
The future traveller may care less about travelling during the “right” month.
They may care more about travelling during the smartest month.
And right now, September is proving that the end of summer can sometimes be the beginning of a better journey.
✅ ABTA’s reported trend shows growing interest in September holidays, rising from 17% in 2023 to 23% in 2024 and 24% in 2025, according to the figures provided in the original article.
✅ eSky’s data identified Spain as the leading September destination among its customers, followed by Greece, Italy, Türkiye and Bulgaria.
✅ The reported Brussels-to-Spain fare comparisons show that September prices can be significantly lower than July on certain routes, although travellers should not assume that every route will follow the same pattern.
Prediction
(+1)
September is likely to continue gaining popularity as travellers search for better value, fewer crowds and more comfortable travel conditions outside the traditional summer peak.
Airlines, hotels and tourism companies may increasingly promote September and other shoulder-season periods as demand spreads beyond July and August.
The growing popularity of flexible travel could eventually turn parts of September into a new high-demand period, meaning travellers who book early and compare dates may have the strongest advantage.
Deep Analysis
The “Super September” trend can be examined like a data problem.
Travellers should compare prices across dates rather than searching for only one fixed departure day.
A simple Linux workflow can help collect and compare travel-related data stored in CSV files.
Inspect September Travel Data
head -n 20 september_bookings.csv
This command allows an analyst to quickly inspect the structure of a travel dataset.
Compare Monthly Flight Prices
awk -F',' '{sum[$2]+=$4; count[$2]++} END {for (m in sum) print m, sum[m]/count[m]}' flights.csv
This can be adapted to calculate average prices by month when the dataset contains structured date and price fields.
Identify the Cheapest Travel Periods
sort -t',' -k4,4n flights.csv | head -n 20
Sorting by the price column can quickly reveal the lowest fares in a dataset.
Search for Spain Routes
grep -i "Spain" flights.csv
This command can filter travel records related to Spain.
Compare July and September
grep "July" flights.csv > july.csv grep "September" flights.csv > september.csv
After separating the data, an analyst can compare average prices and booking patterns between the two periods.
Monitor Booking Growth
wc -l july_bookings.csv wc -l september_bookings.csv
A simple count can provide an initial indication of relative booking volume.
The deeper lesson is that travel trends are increasingly shaped by data, pricing algorithms and consumer flexibility.
September is not becoming popular by accident.
Travellers are responding to price differences, changing work patterns, overcrowding concerns and the desire for experiences that feel more valuable.
The next major shift may be even broader.
Instead of one dominant travel season, the future could produce several smaller peaks distributed across the year.
That would fundamentally change how airlines price seats, how hotels manage capacity and how destinations prepare for visitors.
September may simply be the first visible signal of that transformation.
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