2026 Spring Break Travel Guide

Spring break is a popular time to travel for both students and families as schools and universities let out for a week (sometimes two), and many offices give employees breaks for the Easter holidays. 

The increase of people in the air means that, like Christmas and New Year's, the period around spring break can also be an expensive time to travel. Here’s how to find cheap spring break flights.

When is spring break in 2026?

Spring break varies by school and region. For many colleges, it falls in mid-March in 2026, while for many elementary and high schools, it coincides with Easter in early April.

Is it safe to travel for spring break in 2026?

The vast majority of countries have lifted their Covid entry restrictions. In fact, in many parts of the world, life is pretty much back to normal. Getting vaccinated and testing before you travel can help keep you and the community you visit safe. You should also check on restrictions, vaccination rates, and hospital resources in the place you're visiting.

>> Read our guide to 12 cheap Caribbean destinations to visit this year

How spring break travel will be different in 2026

Last-minute deals are more frequent

The best time to book international flights is generally three to six months out. If your travel dates aren’t flexible, it’s wise to plan even further ahead. Prices tend to rise significantly in the last two weeks. Most US schools take spring break between early March and mid-April, which means most years you should book by January at the latest.

But this year, we're seeing more last-minute deals available. We're even seeing some great deals in premium classes, as more premium economy, business, and first-class seats are getting added to planes. 

Missed the window? Check out our guide to finding cheap(er) last minute tickets.

Hotels and car rentals may be the priciest part of the trip

While the "Carpocalypse" of the pandemic is a thing of the past, car rental prices in some areas (like Hawaii and Alaska) may still be high, and they are simply always more expensive during peak season like spring break. If you're headed to a spot that's a popular spring break destination (such as Florida, South Carolina beaches, or Mexico beaches) expect to see a surge in prices on rental cars and hotels during the busiest weeks. ‍

How to find cheap spring break flights

Consider the effect of other spring holidays

Remember: It’s not just spring break in your home country that can affect prices. Holidays happening in your destination region can raise prices, as well.

When whittling down your destinations, be sure to research any other major events or cultural happenings taking place in those destinations during that period of time that could inflate the overall cost of your trip, including spring break in that destination. 

Think: Chinese New Year and Spring Festival Golden Week in China, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, and the famed cherry blossom festivals in both Japan and Washington, DC.

For most of Europe, spring break is called Easter break and falls over Easter or Holy Week. Many European holidays center around Easter, which falls on April 20, 2026. 

South America doesn’t really embrace spring break, but be wary of booking around Carnival, which lasts four to five days in February and March. It takes place 40 days before Easter and causes prices to skyrocket. 

Australia and New Zealand both have school holidays also happening right around Easter time (and again in September and October).

>> Read our Ultimate Guide to Finding Cheap Flights

Go where the crowds aren't

A lot of people want to travel during spring break as they have holidays from work and school, so it’s peak season and, therefore, expensive. Many travelers either flock to warmer, tropical locales or to the ski slopes, so consider a destination that might not be as popular at this time of year. Larger cities, particularly those in the more northern parts of North America and Europe, don’t attract big spring break crowds. 

Airfare prices depend on demand, so steer clear of the most popular spring break destinations in the region you’re looking to visit—e.g., Miami and Cancún in America, the Mediterranean or Spanish coastline in Europe—and be open and flexible to visiting others destinations that are cheaper to fly to. 

Be flexible

More flexibility almost always translates to better deals. The more flexibility in where you go and when, the easier it is to find a great price. What may be high-season for one destination is low-season for another, so be flexible in terms of where you choose to go. 

If you can adjust which days you fly, you’ll be even better off. The highest fares typically fall on Fridays, Sundays, and Mondays, so consider mixing it up and traveling on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Saturdays when airfare is often lower and airports are not as crowded. Using Google Flights’ calendar search is always a prime place to start when researching the cheapest days to fly.

Focus on getting to the continent/across the ocean cheaply

‍Another route to consider if you can’t find cheap flights to your dream destination: Book a round-trip flight to a gateway city with affordable flight options, then connect on a low-cost carrier.

For example, if you’re looking to travel from/to a smaller city like Lisbon with less international airlift, you might consider flying into London, then booking a separate roundtrip ticket onward via TAP Air Portugal or another budget carrier. 

Want to visit the Caribbean or South America? Houston and Miami have hundreds of departing flights per day to various Caribbean and South American destinations, so look into two separate tickets: one from your home base to Houston or Miami and then another flight from that city to your final destination.

For example, if you live in Orlando and have your eyes on St. Croix in the US Virgin Islands, you might snag a cheap flight from Miami, and then book a separate flight (or plan to drive) from Orlando to Miami to catch that flight to the Caribbean. Read more in our guide to finding the cheapest international flights.