By Mark Kahler

Summer is the seasonal travel champion. Winter motivates skiers and snowbirds. Who doesn't love Paris in springtime?

That leaves autumn.

With the exception of fall foliage enthusiasts, relatively few travelers realize the benefits of scheduling travel in October, November and even early December.

Autumn offers a delightful combination of smaller crowds and milder weather in many places. Bargain hunters will find better deals as travel companies try to keep seats and rooms filled.

If you're looking at a fall break or a few remaining vacation days, why not consider the opportunities for an autumn escape?

 Fall foliage trips are fun and memorable, but can also be costly. This truly is "high season" in places like New England, where quaint inns are booked years in advance and at top-dollar rates. One key to savings is planning, and there's no better place to start than About's Go New England Foliage Central.

Caribbean destinations can be very economical this time of year. The winter rush is still to come, and the summer family season has ended. Delta Vacations offers discounts on vacations to select Caribbean resorts. Get $50 USD off four- or five-night bookings; book six or more nights and get $100 USD off total booking. Offer valid for travel until Dec. 15. Must book by Sept. 30.

Air India Desh-Videsh-Desh Promotion Abbreviated DVD, this promotion allows you to earn points leading to free travel for all domestic flights and any International flights originating in India. Earning period continues through Nov. 25.

Walt Disney World's fall page shows you dates when lower rates are available, and has a headline stating these are some of the lowest rates available all year. You'll save more than money when you go to Disney parks in the fall--lines are shorter for attractions and restaurants, meaning you can save time and accomplish more for the dollar.

Munich is a favorite fall destination, but did you know "Oktoberfest" is actually staged in September? If you're willing to miss the crowds and wait until later in autumn, LastMinute.com offers seven-night double occupancy hotel (three-star in central Munich) and airfare from New York from $1,045 USD/person double occupancy.

Go-today.com offers airfare/hotel combinations for six nights: Paris from $799; Prague from $749, London from $899, Rio de Janeiro from $999 (five nights), and Tokyo from $1229 (five nights). Book these trips as early as possible, because the pre-autumn offers usually don't remain through the season.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of deals for fall, but you should see enough here to whet your appetite for more!

Air Berlin offers low fares from August-October. The lowest fares are to Munich, but there are also fares less than $500 USD one-way from the U.S. to Berlin, Stuttgart and Barcelona.

American Airlines has a Low Fares for Fall Travel sale good for outbound travel through Nov. 18. One way fares include New York-Las Vegas from $169; New York-Chicago $129; Boston-Dallas $134. Watch for blackout dates and added fees.

Delta's International Business Class sale requires a 30- or 50-day advance purchase. The best one-way fares go to the 50-day buyers: New York-Milan $1619; Cincinnati-London Gatwick $1419; Atlanta-Madrid $1749. The fares require a minimum seven-day stay and do not include some additional fees.

Malaysia Airlines USA sometimes offers some great fares between New York and Europe. One recent example was $529 roundtrip New York-Stockholm for travel in September and October. That offer expires at the end of August, but it might be worth checking back later for similar offers.

United Airlines has a Hawaii Fall Sale good for travel until Nov. 19. It's valid any day but Saturday, you must stay at least three days and book 21 days prior to departure. One-way fares include New York-Maui $429; Kansas City-Honolulu $349; Los Angeles-Kona $299. Round trip purchase is required to get the sale fare.

 Alaska Airlines offers airfare Web deals for travel between Oct. 26 and Feb. 12, 2009. Minneapolis-Portland and Minneapolis-Boise, for example, are $159 one-way. Blackout dates apply; tickets must be purchased within a day of reservation and two weeks prior to departure.

 Please note:

All the sale fares you encounter are base prices for the trip. You'll also need to add on taxes and fees. The fine print for each deal is required reading. Skipping this step leaves you open to potentially costly problems. Since many of these fares are non-refundable, you must understand the terms completely before you book.

This is prime time for repositioning cruises, commonly called "repo" cruises in the industry. As lines reposition ships from summer locales such as Norway or Alaska to winter routes in the Caribbean or Mexico, the trip itself becomes a money-saver. The per-day costs and the ports-of-call are where you'll find value, not necessarily on the bottom-line costs. For a comprehensive list of repo cruises, visit About Cruises. Book early, as repeat customers tend to fill these cruises quickly.

Carnival offers specials in the Caribbean and Mexico's Pacific coast during this time of year.

Norwegian Cruise Line features longer itineraries in its specials. You'll notice a very limited choice of dates at these prices.

Cruise.com provides a handy price comparison engine for looking at all the major lines. Take careful note of the cabin location, limitations and restrictions on each trip, because they vary greatly.

In autumn, many of the major hotel chains try to minimize the drop-off after the summer vacation rush. Some of these chains are not necessarily the first choices of budget travelers, but those who look for added amenities and good value might find both in the fall.

Interested in visiting Las Vegas? Here are some autumn discounts for selected dates. Check the dates carefully.

Marriott gives you a search engine for their various discounted room deals. You put in your destinations, they show you what discounts are available.

Search Sheraton's special offers by destination. Expect to find the best deals at locations where the summer season brought crowds, but fall is less busy.

Start your search for discount hotel rooms at Kayak.com, where you can establish a solid baseline price for your destination. Kayak searches hotel Web sites and other databases to link you to the best prices without paying an extra finder's fee.

Do you travel with other couples or families? If you'll need at least five rooms for your trip, consider using Groople.com, a search engine specializing in leisure travel group deals. Groople claims to save 21 percent on group bookings. It has relationships with athletic conferences such as the Mountain West and Big West, so you might run into a few football teams along the way.

Prices you find here turned up in a routine search. As with all "search prices," they are merely a snapshot in time and could be higher or lower when you start digging.

http://budgettravel.about.com/od/planningtoolsstrategies/a/fall_deals.htm