Traveling during school spring break can be very expensive, but unfortunately it’s the only viable option for many families. Although families generally will pay more for a vacation during a school vacation, there are a few tips that insiders use to book cheap family vacations. Here are our top four tips to save money on spring break.
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Purchase Packages
Websites such as Southwest Vacations, Jetblue Getaways, Priceline, American Express Travel and Travelocity often offer bundled discount prices that can help consumers save real money. Families should do their research before booking, so they’ll know a good deal when they see one. I’ve been surprised to find that the airline getaway packages often offer the best prices – even better sometimes than Priceline! I’ve booked several deals through airlines and have always had a great experience.
If your trip includes visits to several different attractions, see if there is a CityPASS available for the city you are visiting. They can be a great deal if you plan to use most of the tickets.
Arrive and Depart on Weekdays
A Saturday to Saturday family spring break vacation is likely to be the most expensive. Consider leaving late on Friday, or during the week to save money on your airfare. Be flexible with your dates and try plenty of combinations before committing to a flight. Sites such as Kayak let you play around easily with dates to find the best rates during the week. We will often leave on the Sunday and return on the Thursday. It’s not quite a week, but it can still be a good amount of time.
Use Coupon Codes and Cashback Sites
Rental car companies publish discount coupons (often available in coupon books like the Entertainment Book) that can result in a great deal. Also consider purchasing through a website like Ebates.com or BeFrugal.com, which offers cashback on purchases made through their sites. You can also use our guide to find the best prices on rental cars. Don’t forget to compare prices. Sometimes something that looks like a great deal may not be.
Book Early
Discounted rates and rooms are limited in quantity, so by booking in advance, families can often save money. For spring break, you really should consider booking NOW – since rates will only go up. You should also check auto clubs and through online sites to get the best prices on attractions – before you leave for vacation.
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Sri at Emerald Island Rentals says
Hello Jodi,
Nice article and a particular paid attention to the section where you talked about arriving and departing on week days. I might add travel on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays is also generally expensive as those are the days when business travelers travel frequently. Of course, if your destination is not a business traveler destination normally, then traveling on week days makes sense.
One other thought that must be kept in mind is that the cost of accommodation and the options you may have with various start days of your vacation. Just like airlines, vacation rentals also try to optimize their revenues. What I mean is that it makes sense for vacation home owners such as myself to rent homes on the same day every week and in our case, our preferred arrival and departure day is Saturday. During most part of the year, we do not rent for anything other than Sat-Sat. Imagine if I have one mid-week booking I will end-up losing 3 or 4 nights before and 3 or 4 nights after that booking. This is the same case for many vacation owners whose homes might be on high demand due to location and amenities etc.
How do you suggest that both travelers and vacation rental owners can win this dilemma with starting the vacation/rental on their respective preferred day?
Jodi Grundig says
Great point! I think in some cases, families that rent vacation homes may be driving, so the Saturday-Saturday flight issue is irrelevant. Or, there’s less of a monetary impact of flying Sat-Sat during weeks that do not coincide with school vacations.