SUMMER may be over, but travellers are showing no sign of staying put for the autumn.
In fact, some travel experts are even seeing more evidence of travel in September and October than they did in the summer months.
Travel insurance providers Staysure Expat found that the summer months were quiet in terms of policies being purchased, whereas September is showing significant growth from the same time last year, and they believe they know why.
“It was a quieter summer than usual in terms of policies being purchased, but we’ve seen a surge in web traffic and travel insurance purchased in September.
The number of visitors to our website was up 13% in September compared to last year, and sales are up 10% compared to last year,” Head of Marketing for Staysure Expat Caroline Lips explains.
“There are a number of factors of play which have contributed to this. Geopolitical conditions linked to the war in Iran disrupted travel patterns, and made people adjust their holiday destinations and the duration of their stay.
Heatwaves and wildfires were also a contributing factor. Traditionally our expat clients would escape the heat in Spain and return to their cooler home nations.
This year there were many occasions when it was actually hotter in London than Marbella, so expats stayed put here, where they could enjoy the air-conditioning and pools. Heatwaves in other parts of Europe also put expats off from leaving home, but now they are ready to travel again.
We’re seeing flexible travellers who are not bound by school holidays, such as silver nomads, digital nomads, younger travellers and golfers, shifting their travel plans to later in the year when heat waves have subsided and temperatures are more comfortable for sightseeing and sports.”
Staysure Expat are certainly not alone in noticing the impact of the increasingly hot summers across the UK and Europe. In the European Travel Commission’s Report on travel trends[1], 75% of respondents reported that the changing climate has impacted the way they travel.
According to the report, people are adjusting their travel plans – changing the months in which they holiday and seeking places with milder temperatures among other behaviours.
Virtuoso’s Luxe Report 2026[2] revealed that 45% of their respondents are saying that climate change is causing their clients to travel differently, with 76% traveling during shoulder season or off-peak times when weather is typically better.
They are saying that “Fall is the new Summer” and their Autumn 2026 bookings and sales are up 59% and 69% respectively.
Caroline Lips from Staysure Expat again: “I’ve lived on Spain’s Costa del Sol since 2013 and have noticed a significant lengthening of the tourist season, to include September and October. We’re still seeing a lot of hire cars on the roads and the restaurants and beach clubs are still busy.
I must say that this is my favourite time of year, so it’s no wonder that we’re welcoming more tourists in the autumn months and I’d predict this trend will only grow.”
For more useful travel advice for expats living in Spain, France and Portugal, visit the Staysure Expat blog, follow @staysureexpat on Instagram and @staysure.expat on Facebook.
[1] Monitoring Sentiment for Intra-European Travel, Spring & Summer 2026
[2] THE 2026 VIRTUOSO LUXE REPORT – A Guide to Key Trends and Insights in Luxury Travel
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