With fall break just about a month away, it’s a great time to start looking into those travel deals and planning a fun getaway. Maybe you and your college friends are in need of a break (spring break is months away!). Perhaps you’re a family of five looking for a fab vacation destination so you can avoid cooking a turkey dinner for 50 people. Whatever your reason for needing a getaway, fall break is the perfect time to get out and explore!
I have so many places on my travel bucket list, from states within our own sea to shining sea borders to countries across the pond. This post could easily have been titled 999+ beautiful places to visit! I needed some sort of criteria to narrow it down. What do these particular 9 places have in common? First, they’re actually ON my list of places to visit. Second, you’ll find a Residence Inn by Mariott in all of the locations. Why is that important, aside from the fact that this post is sponsored in part by Mariott? I’ll tell you more in a bit, but mostly because Residence Inn is just the best place to stay when traveling in groups!
Now, on with the 9 places that are high on my travel bucket list of places to visit during a fall break!
Travel Bucket List: 9 Places that Are Perfect for a Fall Break Vacation
Anchorage, Alaska: This has been high on my travel bucket list forever. I think fall would be a good time to visit because, according to the November 2015 weather forecast, it seems like you get a good mix of what Alaska has to offer without the extremes. A little snow, a little sun and hopefully a whole lot of northern lights! Stay at the Anchorage Midtown Residence Inn.
Denver, Colorado: I was born in Colorado, but we left when I was just a couple of months old. I would love to go back and see it! If you love skiing, head out towards the end of November. Many of the ski resorts will be up and running. I fall down on skis, but love the snow and mountains! Colorado is perfect because while you have ski weather in higher elevations, November isn’t terribly cold in areas like Denver (according to the weather forecast, anyway!)
New Orleans: I visited New Orleans back in 1993, after I graduated high school. It was summer and SO hot! I’d love to go during November, when the temps aren’t quite so bad. If you go around Thanksgiving, you’re hitting the tail end of hurricane season, so it’s a risk. Knock on wood, experts predicted a relatively quiet season this year. New Orleans is such an incredible city to visit, so rich and diverse, full of history and mystery. Even though I’ve been there, I want to go back again.
Charlotte, North Carolina: Looking for warmer weather in the states? North Carolina is a great choice for the fall. Sure, it’s not exactly beach weather anymore come November, but with temps in the 50s and 60s, it’s perfect strolling and site-seeing weather. Charlotte has a little bit of everything: arts and stunning architecture, shopping, nightlife fun, and more. I’ve driven through it but never had a chance to really see it up close.
Seattle, Washington: I’ve been to the airport in Seattle, but never the actual city. Seattle hosts tons of fun festivals and events throughout November, including a Zombie Run on the 14th, a Thanksgiving Run on the 26th and tons of holiday events after the 27th. A quick glance at just one calendar of events tells me I’d never be bored there!
Quebec: I’ve been working with Olfa of OurFamilyWorld for years, but never actually met her in person because she lives in Canada. I’d love to head up and say hello, then check out Quebec. She wrote about a beautiful village called Mont Tremblant that looks just amazing around the holidays. Sure, it’s cold, but sometimes it’s worth bundling up to experience such a beautiful province like Quebec!
Munich, Germany: My very mixed lineage includes a good chunk of German, so this has been high on my list since I was a child. My grandfather spent a lot of time over there and brought be back so many souvenirs. Apparently, we have a “family chalet” over there somewhere too! Isn’t that kind of a castle? See, I AM a princess!! Told you!
Edinburgh, Scotland: While I may not be Scottish (I’m Irish and English though), I’ve always wanted to see the Moors of Scotland. I don’t really even know what moors are, but they sound dark and mysterious, ergo, I must see them! Ooh, and bogs! The bogs sound neat too. I read a story once where the bogs preserved all sorts of weird stuff. Plus Scotland just looks insanely gorgeous.
San Jose, Costa Rica: My brother went there on vacation a couple of years ago and said it was gorgeous. If you’re looking for a warmer getaway, this is it. Costa Rica is relatively inexpensive, especially if you’re an outdoorsy type person. Relaxing on the beach or hiking and taking in the scenery doesn’t cost much more than gas money, and there’s no shortage of beautiful places to see!
You’ll find a Residence Inn by Mariott at all of these great places to visit for fall break. So why should you stay at a Residence Inn? Take a look at a few of my top reasons:
- More personal space: It’s like staying in an apartment. Even the smallest studio suites have a separate living area, so everyone can have a little quiet time away from each other at the end of a long day out and about.
- Saves money on food: With free hot breakfasts and in-suite kitchenettes, you don’t have to eat out as often. Save money for the attractions you really want to see instead of throwing it all away on take-out! They’ll even deliver groceries right to your door.
- Let’s you pack lighter: Packing 7 days worth of clothes for five people can really add heft to your suitcase, which adds heft to your flight costs! Since Residence Inn has on-site laundry and dry-cleaning, you can pack lighter!
- Lower rates for longer stays: The longer you stay, the less you pay per night.
- Plenty of great amenities: Residence Inn wants you to feel at home. You’ll find all the things you love about your own house, like free high-speed internet access, outdoor patios with BBQs and more, PLUS all the things you don’t have at home to make you feel pampered! Unless you have a pool and fitness room, in which case, well, they have the things I don’t have at home!
Residence Inn really just makes sense when you’re traveling, whether it’s with a large family, a few close friends or just yourself! For more ideas on places to visit with a Residence Inn nearby, check out their downloadable PDF list of locations.
What’s on your travel bucket list? Where would you go if money was no object? Tell me in the comments!
I have been to Seattle, and it is really cool to go there. I would also love to travel to New Orleans and see all the sites. I think these are all beautiful places to visit!
I really wish I had seen more of Seattle than just the airport and the space needle as the plane took off. It just seems like such a neat place to visit. New Orleans is a must-visit. It’s like stepping into a whole different country. The air is thick with mystery, ghosts of the past, intrigue. Or maybe it was just thick with humidity, lol. But it just has this feel to it that is nothing like any other place I’ve visited.
What is fall break? And how do I get one?
I would love to travel to all these places this fall, but my kids are in school until Christmas break.
Once upon a time here, our kids had this magical whole week off for Thanksgiving. They put parent/teacher conferences near the beginning of the week and gave them off from Tues-Mon. It was fabulous. Then the powers that be who don’t think decided, hey, let’s give them a 4-day weekend two weeks before Thanksgiving and put P/T conferences there, THEN just give them off Thurs-Mon. Thus ruining any plans of an actual vacation. I am so mad. Sounds like I still get more of a break than you do though, so I shouldn’t complain.
I”d like to visit all of these places if money wasn’t an object. There seems to be something to see in every are of the world except where I live lol. Those buildings are all really neat.
Oh now, I’m sure your area has SOMETHING interesting! We just never realize the interesting stuff in our own areas. I live in a tourist trap (the Poconos) and I can STILL never find anything to do, lol.
I would LOVE to go to France – Paris to be exact. I’d also love to check out Hawaii…well, really any place that has the ocean and beach!
Hawaii would be awesome too! I want to visit because I’d like to see the volcanoes. Also because I watch Hawaii 5-0 and it always looks so stunningly beautiful there.
Those are really wonderful places! It would be nice to go to New Orleans and experience all the fun that people have been talking about.
That is a great list! I have been to several places on it. I live in Colorado and would encourage you to visit Estes Park. It is really beautiful there and it is a cute little town, the Stanley Hotel is there too.
The Stanley Hotel- the Shining Hotel? That would be really cool! I think my aunt was going to stay there, but the weather didn’t cooperate with her trip. Thanks for the recommendations!
I love this list! I lived in Bellingham, Washington (about an hour north of Seattle) for 3 years, and barely explored Seattle while I was there. I will definitely go to some of these places!
OMG, these look amazing. I would definitely love to go to these places.
These are some awesome pictures. I have never been to any of these places listed. I would love to visit New Orleans someday. The picture of Charlotte, NC is so enticing as well.
I would really love to take a mini trip to Edinburgh, Scotland. That architecture is truly amazing.
Alaska! That’s on the top of my list! I want to go to all of these places- those photos are beautiful!
I love the photos these are all amazing. I wish i could go to that places someday.
The photos are all awesome indeed! Alaska is in my list too! Hope I can go these places as soon as possible. Thanks for sharing
I haven’t been in any of these places. I would love to visit Scotland and Paris soomeday.
Alaska sounds like a beautiful place to visit for fall break. I wish we had traveled to some of these places on our fall break.
Just amazing places to visit. Been to a few and want to go to the others.
I was in Edinburgh three weeks ago! It was one port on my British Isles cruise, but one day was not long enough to enjoy the city. My husband and I are already planning a trip back to Scotland! We are from Florida and in October is was already in the low 50’s though, so keep that in mind when deciding when to visit (we were very cold). I have a very long travel bucket list, and slowly but surely I am crossing places off. The next big trip is an Australia and New Zealand cruise, and I am super excited about that one.
Oh wow, that sounds like it’s going to be an AMAZING cruise! I would LOVE to visit Australia and New Zealand. I was almost born in NZ. My mom was living with my grandparents, and my grandfather had the option between NZ and Colorado. He ended up choosing CO because he wanted to stay in the same country as the rest of the family, but I think it would have been neat to be born overseas.
In the United States, I’d like to visit Seattle, Chicago, New Orleans, and Boston. I would also love to visit Europe.
All on my list too! I’ve been to Chicago and Boston, but I’d love to go back. Boston is my favorite, there’s so much history there, you really need many trips to take it all in.
I would like to go France as it always inspire for new things to start.