Globe Aware travelers, there’s still time to plan your spring break! A volunteer vacation in Puerto Rico is one of the top budget-friendly flight options.

6 spring break destinations where you can still find cheap flights

Airfare on the whole may be up this year, but there are still pockets of hope for sunny vacations this spring.

March 6, 2025
By Natalie B. Compton
Washington Post

You deserve a vacation. Not this summer, not later this year. Something much sooner, like an honest-to-goodness spring break.

Of course, life is feeling pretty expensive. It doesn’t help that airfare on average is higher than last year, said Katy Nastro, spokesperson and travel expert at Going, a cheap-flight alert service.

All hope is not lost. On Tuesday morning, for example, a Going price alert hit my inbox with an April round trip from New York City to Athens for $363. Disney fans: There was also a D.C. to Orlando round trip in April for just $97.

Melanie Fish, a spokesperson for Expedia Group, said if your schedule is flexible, the last week of April may be the cheapest time for a trip, compared with the rest of the spring break window.

Hayley Berg, lead economist for the travel booking company Hopper, said the most expensive windows will be around Easter (April 20) and Passover (April 12-20). Domestic airfares could be 40 percent higher over holiday weekends.

Laura Lindsay, a spokesperson at the travel booking company Skyscanner, said that no matter when you’re going, look for trips leaving on a Monday or Tuesday. That can be more affordable than flying on a Friday or Saturday.

You may find cheaper spring break airfare if you put the passport down. Berg said domestic spring break airfare is down 2 percent from 2024 and is averaging just under $250 per ticket, while trips to the Caribbean are up 6 percent.

But there are exceptions. Here are six places, domestic and international, where you may have luck at the last minute on a spring break flight.

Puerto Rico

Sun. Surf. Architecture. Pork. Puerto Rico checks a lot of boxes for travelers, including budget-conscious ones. According to data from Hopper, you can find spring airfare to Puerto Rico from across the United States for under $250 (and as low as $148 if you’re flying from New York). Expedia also shows that flights in late March to San Juan from John F. Kennedy International Airport are 65 percent cheaper than usual. Once you land, don’t forget to explore the island’s southern coast.

Nashville

Nashville is so much more than its boozy “pedal taverns” and bachelorette parties. It’s full of music, culture, American history and fantastic food. It’s also a good place to find a cheap flight this spring. According to Skyscanner data, March and April are the cheapest months to fly to Nashville from various parts of the country. Berg found airfare for less than $75 per person from Boston and New York City. If you’re coming from the West Coast, Spirit Airlines has plenty of flights to Nashville International Airport for cheap from Los Angeles, Oakland and Las Vegas.

Colombia

Colombia is one of the most reliable international destinations for finding deals year-round (not to mention it’s reliably delightful). Nastro says that has been true for spring break, particularly for those traveling from southern states. She recently found flights to Cartagena from Austin and Fort Lauderdale, Florida, for $298 and $224, respectively.

“Cartagena is ideal at the end of March or early April due to it being dry season and warm enough to take advantage of a trip to Playa Blanca, yet not overly balmy like the summer months,” Nastro said in an email.

U.S. Virgin Islands

If it’s a soft, sandy beach you seek, the U.S. Virgin Islands are hard to beat. Hopper found deals to the Caribbean islands from all over the States. Travelers from L.A. can expect round-trip airfare for as low as $330 to St. Thomas; Chicagoans can get to Christiansted in St. Croix for $300 or St. Thomas for $200; while Bostonians and New Yorkers can find trips to the territory under $250, Berg said.

Florida

The king of spring break tourism, Florida is the epicenter of cheap flights this time of year, particularly to major cities such as Orlando, Miami, Fort Lauderdale and Tampa. Hopper found round trips in March and April from New York to Miami for as low as $65; Boston to Orlando for $71; and Boston to Fort Myers for $72. Frontier has nonstop flights from Denver, Cincinnati and Las Vegas to the Sunshine State for under $200 throughout March and April.

New Orleans

After Super Bowl and Mardi Gras merriment, New Orleans tourism quiets down — and travel deals heat up. March, April and May are the cheapest months to fly to the city, according to Skyscanner search data. With the crowds dispersed and the weather warming up, the city is ideal for exploring with an expert guide like Flambeaux Bicycle Tours or Drink & Learn with drinks historian Elizabeth Pearce.