By: John Rauser - Farecast Fareologist
Spring break season is upon us, and with average fares for travel in March up 10-12% over last year, here are some tips you can use to book a great trip at a reasonable price.
When to go
Traditionally, schools schedule a week long Spring break in March. Here’s a chart showing average price for travel within the US through mid-April.
In 2008, most college students will take their Spring break in mid-March. Travel during these weeks will be the most expensive, with prices peaking for travel on Friday March 21. If you aren’t tied to a school schedule, I would advise avoiding mid-March. Either February or April will be significantly less expensive, except for Valentine’s day weekend, of course.
When it comes to the day of week you fly, travel on Friday, Saturday or Sunday is much more expensive. Traveling on a Tuesday often costs $40-50 less than on the weekend. If you don’t need to be back at work or school, a 7-night Tuesday to Tuesday trip can be a lot cheaper than the equivalent Saturday trip.
Where to go
Cancun, Mexico is extremely popular for Spring Break, and is among the most expensive of the Mexico / Carribean destinations, with typical March departures costing $400 to $500 from most Northern US cities (tickets can be had for about $350 from Southern California or Florida).
From the East coast, a more reasonably priced destination is Nassau in the Bahamas where a typical ticket clocks in at about $350. Florida is your least expensive option from the East Coast; tickets to Miami and Orlando can be had for well under $300.
From the West coast, a ticket to Hawaii can be had for an average of about $470, in sharp contrast with the $800 or so it will cost you from East coast origins. From the West coast to Western Mexico, both Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta are reasonable with a typical ticket costing around $375, only slightly more expensive than the cross country trip to Florida, which will run you about $360.
When to buy
Right now is a good time to be booking your Spring break travel. Prices have been falling in recent days, in particular for itineraries that avoid the most popular travel days of March 14-16 and 21-23. For these peak travel days, prices are likely to continue upward, so buying soon is probably wise. For off-peak travel days you are probably safe waiting to book your travel, but be sure to book a month in advance, prices are likely to start climbing quickly once inside 30 days-to-departure.
I wonder if this Tuesday-to-Tuesday lower price holds true for trips from U.S. to Europe. I need to go to France the week of April 6 - 12, which are Saturdays, but might be able to work out two Tuesdays instead.
Your periodic informative emails are very helpful. It gets me to thinking ahead and in the right direction.
My sister in law flying from Budapest Hungary to stay here .
Were is the best time to buy a ticket ? She s coming in April
i’m trying to move several people to tampa (tarpon sprins) area for my daughter’s graduation.
I don’ want to/ can’t wait to, take advantage of “last minute ” sales. I’m looking for airfare and 2-3 bedrooms without plugging into tourist-y stuff. Any help would be great.
dad