At this point, I've lived in Austin long enough to consider myself a local Austinite. I'm in my seventh year of living in this city and have experienced many of the fun activities Austin has to offer. As a result, I have also learned about when to expect the greatest number of tourists to visit. I want visitors to be prepared for taking a trip to Austin, so I'm going to present some simple and effective tips to keep in mind from someone (me) who has traveled to Austin as a tourists and made it a long-term home. I'm writing this now so you have a full year to prepare for traveling to Austin next October if that's something you already had on your radar.
What's Happening in Austin in October?
The busiest and potentially worst time to travel to Austin is during the month of October. Sure, this is an ideal time to travel because flights are cheap during this month, but that’s also when Austin-Bergstrom International Airport (ABIA) sees it’s highest traffic volume all year. Here’s a breakdown of why this is such a busy time.
First Weekend | Austin City Limits (ACL) Weekend 1 |
Second Weekend | Austin City Limits (ACL) Weekend 2 |
Third Weekend | U.S Grand Prix F1 Racing |
Fourth Weekend | Austin Film Festival |
Various Weekends | Austin FC matches, Texas Football games, Events at Moody Center, and more |
How does this impact your trip?
So what are the implications of such a busy month of tourists visiting the city? A positive is the local economy gets a huge boost from the millions of dollars that are raked in across the entire month of activities. However, tourists visiting Austin should be aware that with all of the activities being on the weekends prices will be much higher than usual.
Flights and Transportation
Flights on weekends are always more expensive than weekdays because there’s increased demand. While ABIA is an international airport, it's quite small and lines will be long when you are returning home after your weekend in Austin because it barely has the capacity to support such an influx of visitors.
Also keep in mind that traffic is terrible around Austin. Renting a car may be nice if you want to get move about the city on your own, but getting a taxi or rideshare is probably a more ideal transportation option because these busy weekends are exhausting. Public transit (including buses, light rail, and bikes) is going to be your most affordable option, but you will need to do some research on routes, schedules, and other things you may be concerned about regarding using public transportation.
Lodging
Additionally, finding a place to stay could be difficult to find within an ideal budget if you don’t book well in advance. Austin has plenty of hotels and it seems that a new one is always being built somewhere. Short-term rentals are also everywhere in this city (which has contributed to some other, more complex issues). Whether you choose to stay in a hotel or short-term rental, nightly rates will take a nice hike and be significantly higher that usually during the weekends of October. If your goal is to reduce your spending during your October trip to Austin, I recommend finding a friend who will let you stay with them. Other options that appear to be better for convenience (not necessarily price) are timeshares and flexible apartment rentals where you pay a membership and can stay in a fully-furnished apartment for as short/long as you need to.
Food
As for food, there’s a vast amount of great restaurants, bars and food trucks in Austin. Prices will vary depending on the type of place you choose to patron, so the hardest thing to do will likely be choosing where to go for food and drinks.
3 Simple Travel Tips
You may be asking yourself, “Now what do I do with this information?"
Tip #1: Book Early
First, you should be prepared to spend more money which means setting a higher budget than you may have initially anticipated. If you book everything for your travel early, you have a better chance at finding lower prices to help you come in under budget.
Tip #2: Explore Online
Second, spend some time leading up to your trip to Austin exploring food and drink options across the city. There are many local bloggers like myself who dedicate their blogs to Austin’s food and drink scene. They can provide firsthand experience with quality, prices, making reservations, parking and more.
Tip #3: Decide When to Visit Austin
Finally, take some time to really decide if traveling to Austin during a weekend in October is truly the best time for you to visit. If you’re visiting for one or more of the festivals, other concerts, F1 racing, or sporting events, then spending a weekend in Austin in the month of October is inevitable. If taking more a leisurely trip to Austin, you’ll save more money and have more lodging availability by visiting during the weekdays (which is what my family did) or just waiting to visit in pretty much any other month that’s not October. Whenever you decide to visit and whatever your plans are for when you arrive in Central Texas, I’m sure you’ll find activities that will allow you to enjoy your time on your trip. If you’re ever looking for inspiration, check out the Monthly Adventures series on my blog for some fun activities to do in Austin!
Feel free to leave comments below, tweet (@KimiThoughts), or leave a post/message on Facebook (@KimisTravelThoughts) and share your thoughts on this list or if you plan to use any of the recommendations from this post!