Fun in Fall & Winter? Where to Go and Why You Need To Plan it Now!

Fall Winter Travel Planning

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[00:00:16]Nasreen: Hi and welcome back for another episode of Time to Talk Travel. Today we're going to be talking about fall and winter travel, prepping , things you don't want to wait until the last minute on, some of our favorite spots to go or maybe some that didn't quite measure up.

I'm gonna jump right into why we're doing this one right now because you may be thinking it's August. I don't need to think about winter travel yet, or fall, or Halloween, or any of this. I'm just trying to get the kids back off to school and wade through everything right now.

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They're running special Christmas lightings, things that you want to get in on, but there are limited spots for them. And unfortunately, if you wait too long until you start hearing about them everywhere, you may have trouble getting in on them. It's one of the reasons to be proactive on this type of travel because otherwise you're watching everyone's videos and posts and you're like, Damn, I wish I had looked a little earlier on what's going on in my area.

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We're looking at 2025,

You might've already missed the boat on some of this stuff. You're probably going to need to be looking at places that are less popular for what you'd normally think.

When I think of fall travel, I think of fall leaves, popping up into Maine and Vermont and, even Asheville, North Carolina. A lot of the spots you want may already be taken. So

I don't know, Mo, do you have fall travels planned? Are you even able to look that far ahead?

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[00:03:06] Desiree: Yeah, that's not normal. That's normally under

400.

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I mean? It's hard sometimes to just kind of wait, but it's definitely going to be worth it.

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And maybe it's just where I've been living, but in New Hampshire, obviously a ton of tourists come in and do foliage stuff. So there are scenic railroad tours that do, you know, dinner or wine tasting on the train to see the leaves. You can't get a seat on one of those right now. Those booked, I mean, there were no seats available, especially in anything that had an observation perspective, because tourists came in and booked all of that early because they were planning that stuff early. In Texas, Lost Maples has foliage and it turns. Camping slots for that go so far in advance. Even getting into the park when you had to have a reservation, and I believe you still do have to have plans and be on their list to get in. That again is booked out significantly in advance. So there are these experiences that may be near you, that other people are planning ahead, and you're not necessarily.

That's, I think, the middle ground where I get caught in myself.

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And if you're not, you want a down weekend, then you can do it too. Cause I'm, I'm finding right now I've booked every weekend. It's getting a little overwhelming to think, okay, When am I going to be home and when can I just relax and get caught up on the stuff you have to do at home?

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To visit in October of this year, and this is according to U. S. News,

U. S.

And the world.

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[00:05:40] Desiree: just says the best place to visit in October 2024, this is the U.S. News and World Report rankings.

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[00:05:49] Desiree: Sicily.

I think because White Lotus inspired so much, but it says at the start of the off season, hotel rates in this Italian paradise can drop to almost half of their peak prices.

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[00:06:00] Desiree: why it's a sexy place to go. And number two is Yellowstone National Park. And I'm trying to put together a trip for this, it's not super hot. Temps are like 40s and 50s, and it's less crowded than the peak summer months.

You won't have to fight for spots to see Old Faithful.

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[00:06:21] Desiree: Yeah, they closed for the season in November, but a lot of the lodging options close sooner. So you do kind of have to worry about that, but it does say that it's the end of elk rutting season and you can hear other worldly bugling. Never heard it. So maybe that's the noise they make. I'll be able to tell you next year when I go. My Zion park trip is tomorrow, my 10 day birthday trip that I had planned before I was laid off that I'm still taking only because I got that one permit to the wave that only 2 percent of the people who apply ever get. So at least 2 percent online. And boy, are they scaring me with that.

I keep getting emails. You might die. Be prepared. Literally. It says people have died in the heat. People have been medevaced out. I finally just caved and paid for a tour guide. Because I thought they'll

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[00:07:14] Desiree: Yes, they'll keep me alive. I don't want to die on my birthday. I was like, just, man, do they scare you?

And I kept reading some reports that are like, Oh no, it's fine. You can figure it out. You got maps. They show you pictures because only about 26 people a day get to hike this. I mean, I think it's a six mile round trip. I can't even remember. I've got so many hikes planned over the next week, but they made it very, very clear that if you get lost, you probably will die.

And I can count on Des to get lost. There's no cell signal. There's just, look for the two mountains that have a ridge in the middle. What? You know, look, look for the bush off to the right, 10 steps. Okay, finally caved, paying for the guide. So I'm going to keep going down this list because I find it really interesting. Yellowstone's next and then it says Zion which is probably smart because it's probably not too hot. And then number four is the British Virgin Islands. And then five, Reykjavik, which I believe, because

then it's,

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[00:08:13] Maureen: your favorite.

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[00:08:22] Maureen: Would you pick February?

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[00:08:35] Desiree: Right. I said, all right, I'm not going to be that person. I'm going to plan it for April. I think April sounds safer. And then I'll do Yellowstone in May because everyone's telling me April and Yellowstone is still dicey.

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[00:08:58] Maureen: That's why I said Germany Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

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And it is amazing. If you just want a reminder that we can all get along no matter how different we are or where we're from or whatever, you just throw on a dirndl and your lederhosen, walk in there and you join 6, 000 friends in each tent and you, you sing John Denver songs I mean, it's insane!

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go with you when

I like doing local ones, but I, be

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[00:10:01] Maureen: I have, I have a full Oktoberfest outfit.

not, it's not genuine, but it does the trick and it's quite cute.

was all thought it would be an annual thing and then we only went once, so I'd be happy to break it out

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[00:10:34] Maureen: There you go. No, that is a fun thing to put on the calendar. If you can't go all the way to Germany, there's lots of local ones that you can find. They really do get into the spirit in Texas. There's a lot of German history, so

Oh yeah,

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[00:10:49] Maureen: And that's again, October, anywhere that's hot, is still really nice.

It's what normal people's summer would be. It's not hotter than hell like it is right now. I just got back from Toronto and everyone was asking, when's the best time to come visit you in Texas?

And really fall and spring are the best times. January and February are gross. It's still fairly warm. Like it's not compared to Canada. Let's be honest. Put that preface but it's such an outdoorsy place where we are here. So you want to be able to be outside.

So if it's stinking hot or miserable and rainy, those are the two seasons you don't really want to visit. And there's lots of places in the world that that sort of qualifies for. Fall can be a great time. I think that's probably why Italy's on there too. Because it would still be nice, but not hot. The other thing to consider is the other side of the hemisphere. It's a different season, right? I have forgotten this in my travels in the past where I went to South America and it was warm in Miami when I left and fall, literally, when I landed in Uruguay.

I have quite the collection of jeans and sweaters from that trip because I packed completely wrong. It’s something to keep in mind when you're on the shoulder seasons of spring and fall.

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[00:12:31] Maureen: And you don't have the crowds, like

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[00:12:33] Maureen: All the kids are back in school around the world, you've got a little bit less crowding in the popular places. If you really do want to see some of those tourist, iconic places, no matter where you're traveling to, it would be a better time.

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[00:12:59]Nasreen: Yeah, so for the people who may not be able to get overseas or have limited time and want to go domestically. I'm in New England, so there's a lot of places up here that are popular. You've got Burlington, Vermont, you know, huge. The kids go back. Getting a hotel is hard, but it's beautiful.

Upstate New York. You've got Portland, Maine. The whales migrate. It's great around October. You have not only leaves and beautiful vistas and pictures and great food, but you've got potential whale sightings. Stowe, Vermont is kind of the quintessential mountainy town area.

And then of course in New Hampshire, the Kangamangus Highway, which people just go all the way along at 20 miles an hour taking pictures of leaves and you don't go through there if you're from around here because you're going to be going slow. We know people drive slow during these seasons, but you've got all the things I like, right?

You got apple cider donuts. You got apple cider. You got, I mean, like I love apple cider donuts,

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[00:13:56]Nasreen: yeah, I know they have them everywhere, but

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[00:14:01] Maureen: I don't think I've ever had an apple cider

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and Blue Ridge, they have them. They're yummy.

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They've got an everything bagel one, they've got a garlic and herb one, ones that you don't see in the stores normally. And then Ben Jerry's is right there too, and now there's actually a winery and a distillery, so now it's like a . Quintafecta? I don't know how to go about that.

But then there's even these fall things to do in cities you don't think of, like Greenville, South Carolina has a big food festival in the fall and it gets pretty out there. Asheville, I mean, Asheville's got Biltmore. And then Austin has Austin City Limits in October. It's a really popular time to go there because again, it's not

quite as miserable.

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So they're going to Toronto instead. They're doing Toronto in October instead.

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[00:15:28] Desiree: They, they are. They just said, we'll do Austin when it's not overrun,

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[00:15:33] Desiree: a music festival. iT's two weekends straight.

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If you do pick a festival weekend, you want to make sure it's one that you really want to go to. So you're kind of all in on the cost and the additional expenses and crowds.

Other, fall things too, if we're going towards Halloween Salem Mass. is a huge Halloween destination because of the whole, you're a witch, you're a witch, you're a witch, burn them all thing that happened many years ago. Somewhere you've got to be careful if you want to

actually take a tour, actually do anything. They have some last minute availability, but it is wall to wall, people. If you can make it on a weekday and if you can book way in advance, much better.

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We've got a couple of great restaurants we've done, Thanksgiving dinners at, and one being bourbon house, redfish. They do interesting Thanksgiving menus. So kind of fun to look at for fall as well.

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[00:17:05] Desiree: I have.

I went for St. Patrick's day, which is a whole lot of fun. That is a great place for St. Patrick's day. I have been on haunted tours in Savannah. I have not been there for actual Halloween, but I've done the haunted tours where there's one hotel in particular. People sleep in this hotel and they tell you on the tour, oh, by the way, it was the confederate hospital.

And underneath, when they renovated, they found all the bones of the people. When they'd hatch off their legs, they'd just throw them under. They say that one's super haunted. I don't know how much I buy into all that stuff, but you walk through the cool cemeteries and they tell you the stories about, ringing your bell

People who were buried alive. Remember, I think we've talked about this before, but essentially For a while, there were plagues and they thought people were dead. They buried them and it turned out they were alive. So they started burying people with a bell and a string in the coffin so that they could pull the string if they woke up and bells would ring. You could see some of those parts of the cemetery. It's cool. The cemeteries there are pretty awesome. And again, St. Patrick's day is amazing there.

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Did it become Halloweeny after the movie came out? And then like Keene, New Hampshire does this giant pumpkin lighting where they try and have the most Jack o lanterns at a time. Someplace in Minnesota is calling themselves the capital of Halloween.

Anoka, Anoka, like that. Yeah. I don't know. I don't know what's going on there. there's a lot more Halloween-y places than I thought. But even some of the giant displays of 80 bazillion jack o lanterns and things like that. I think the creepy places for Halloween are kind of fun. You know, those are the ones that are unique.

ha.

ha ha

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[00:19:29]Nasreen: Debauchery.

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[00:19:42]Nasreen: Leave the kids home for that

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[00:19:50] Maureen: On aclassier note, in Fort Lauderdale the end of October, beginning of November is the Fort Lauderdale boat show, which, if you're at all into boats and yachting or like to dream big and see fabulous things, that's kind of a cool one too.

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[00:20:07]Nasreen: So Independence, Kansas, let's have a fun guessing game. They have a small town and I've been to Independence, I know how big it is. They have a festival called Neewollah, Halloween spelled backwards.

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[00:20:21]Nasreen: Okay. Now first of all, let's guess how many days long it is and how many visitors came.

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Five, five and five.

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Yep. Dozens of activities, parades, food festivals, carnivals, and more. It is the largest annual event in Kansas.

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[00:20:43]Nasreen: Oh, oh, I forgot another one near us though. Fall River, you know, Lizzie Borden. So she gave her father 40 whacks and then she murdered her parents.

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[00:20:54]Nasreen: Like an old ax murder.

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is coming out.

In America, we're raised with Lizzie Borden

who murdered her whole family, hacked them all up.

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and it's popular to book around Halloween.

Well, there, think of all the disturbing places. Okay. The conjuring house is in Rhode Island, they rent that out as an Airbnb. Very popular around Halloween.

Or

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staying there. Red Rum. Red Rum.

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No, not creepy murder houses.

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And then apple picking. The season has moved earlier for that as well.

If that's something you want to start looking in September for sure. I remember us going in October when I was younger, but it's definitely something you want to aim for in September now because some places are not picking into October.

Then you've got those early winter trips that I think have also become a little trickier too because of the mountains, and I feel like I'm giving my little spiel on global warming , But a lot of the places don't have snow as early as they used to. If you plan early season skiing, even the places releasing what their opening dates going to be, what their specials are going to be for the year, it's pushed back later and later editorially because they're not doing stuff until December, January, if you really want to make sure you have snow, January, February.

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[00:22:46] Desiree: Colorado, Keystone, and I want to say Vailot They have Epic Pass is what it's called and you can get the annual

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I haven't skied since I broke my ankle or since I moved to Texas. So

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[00:23:01] Maureen: And it was not, it was a little hill.

Nasreen: I haven't skied on a mountain ever and I grew up in New Hampshire and I've talked, I've talked to a couple of PR. My parents didn't. It's one of those things where if your parents didn't do it, how are you going to go? Right.

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need to

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Greg worked at a ski resort and we could ski for free!

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[00:23:31] Maureen: You shouldn't have told us that

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[00:23:35] Desiree: We all should go together. We all need to do it. Mo, where are you?

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[00:23:41] Desiree: I can't snowboard. I'm very bad at snowboarding. And I'm terrified on skis to be totally honest.

But I did learn in Keystone they tell you that the green there is blue everywhere else.

And the blue there is black everywhere. It's super hard. I went down that mountain and you're supposed to go sideways like this to go slow because you don't want to go down and die. I was not as good at going sideways the whole time. And I rolled at one point I had to get on the taxi, which is really like a stretcher they pull behind a jet ski to get people down who are too stupid to have been able to, yeah, it's terrifying to me.

I'll do it, but boy, Boy, I will not do it. My kids will fly by me.

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[00:24:34] Desiree: yeah. Okay.

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[00:24:39] Desiree: Yeah. We can convince Stowe, Vermont to host us.

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[00:24:42] Desiree: sure we're going to make this happen. I'm excited now. Yay. Moe, where were you going to go skiing? You were just saying

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[00:24:58] Desiree: . My cousin has a place in Tahoe and she keeps saying you and Daly need to come out. You need to. So I kept thinking I might do that this Christmas if I'm not doing 800 other things.

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I love that they really use their place

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I think we've given a lot of people a whole lot of options.

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So definitely looking into some of those if you're looking. Halloween experience. You can usually see how people have done in the past years. There's a lot of scary ones. I know we have Canobie Lake near us and actually, ironically, my family is there today. And sometimes with these late season things at the smaller parks, we bought a pass. They have annual passes because last fall you could buy it and it would be good for the fall and into this year, the full season. And it costs the same as going two and a half times and there were a ton of haunted houses . So my two daughters and my husband got that.

And they've been out multiple times. Look at the annual passes if you're going to do one of these events, it can be a great way to save and still be able to go.

So

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[00:26:45] Maureen: Geez, it's going to be quite the last quarter finale of 2024.

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We get to do all this stuff, I love it.

I love it.

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It's kind of fun.

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[00:27:16]Nasreen: Get on

it, get out there, see some pumpkins, eat some donuts,

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[00:27:22]Nasreen: look at some light cider donuts, Mo needs to eat a cider donut, or well a gluten free one. They have them, I promise.

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That's probably not as, probably not as good. I don't know.

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I know I used to have cider donuts when I didn't eat gluten and

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[00:27:41] Maureen: Really? Okay.

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[00:27:44] Desiree: Blue Ridge is great. If we ever wanna talk just about Blue Ridge, I would love to, I had to write a 10 article series for Blue Ridge for a friend's website. She hired me to go out there and write 10 articles. No joke.

All 2,000 words. Yeah. I could write a whole Blue Ridge book now.

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[00:28:16] Narrator: This has been another episode of Time to Talk Travel, brought to you by HashtagTravels. com. You can keep in touch with us between episodes by checking out our site, joining our newsletter, or connecting with us on social. We've always got the information you need in our episode notes. Until next time, happy travels, and thanks for being a part of our trip.