Fall used to be the little travel window between summer vacation and the holidays. The kids were back in school, the biggest crowds went home, and we could visit somewhere without standing behind 47 people trying to take the same photo.

Then, the rest of us caught on. New travel research suggests more Americans are choosing fall vacations, hoping to save money and avoid the summer crowds.

The only problem is that all this newfound popularity is making fall a little less "off-season" than it used to be.

Americans Are Deliberately Traveling Off-Peak

Plenty of us aren't ending our travel plans when summer ends. Americans are expected to take nearly four vacations over the next year, up from the 3.5 trips people expected when surveyed this summer.

But, we're also getting more strategic about when those trips happen. More than a third of Americans said they're traveling during off-peak periods to save money. Meanwhile, another third are cutting spending elsewhere to protect their vacation budgets.

That makes fall rather appealing. We can move the trip from July or August without giving up the trip altogether.

Fall Travel Is Getting Busier

Of course, we're not the only ones who figured this out. More than half of U.S. adults planned to travel for leisure this fall. And plenty of those trips were still waiting to be booked when the survey was conducted. Four in 10 people planning a fall trip hadn't made any of their arrangements yet.

There's growing interest in traditional fall trips, too. Searches for travel during fall foliage season are up 10%, compared with last year. So much for having October all to ourselves.

Shoulder Season Doesn't Always Mean a Bargain Anymore

For years, one of the selling points of shoulder-season travel has been the possibility of paying less. When we moved the vacation outside the summer rush, we often found cheaper flights and hotel rooms waiting for us.

The trouble is, that isn't guaranteed anymore. In the 10 most popular U.S. destinations, fall lodging prices are averaging 20% more than summer prices, while airfare is about 2% more. Fall travel demand on Vrbo is also up 17%, compared with last year, while average nightly rates during shoulder season are now only about 5% below peak summer prices.

There are still deals to find. But, they aren't automatically waiting for us just because we picked October instead of July.

Fall Has Plenty Going for It

Saving money isn't the only reason to move a trip beyond summer. Cooler temperatures can make walking around a city or spending a day outside a lot more enjoyable. Fall foliage gives us an entire seasonal excuse to go somewhere pretty. And, depending on the destination, traveling after the summer rush can still mean fewer crowds.

The trick may be letting go of the idea that every fall trip is automatically an off-season bargain. Just be sure to check the actual hotel and airfare prices before congratulating yourself on that brilliant October booking.

We May Need a New Definition of Shoulder Season

Fall hasn't stopped being a lovely time to travel. We still get cooler weather, smaller crowds, and a vacation that doesn't require us to stand beneath a blazing sun.

But, if we're all moving our trips to fall because nobody travels then, we can probably see where this is going. The secret is out.

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