logo
From cheap flights to top destinations, you can still score a deal for spring break

From cheap flights to top destinations, you can still score a deal for spring break

Yahoo25-02-2025

USA TODAY and Yahoo may earn commission from links in this article. Pricing and availability subject to change.
Groundhog Day may have signaled a longer winter, but spring break is just around the corner to offer travelers an escape to warmer weather.
This year, travelers are seeking out a fresh take on spring break. They're checking out new international destinations and breaking away from the usual group or family trips, with a surge of 90% in solo travel searches and a 30% increase in pet-friendly accommodations from last year, according to Airbnb's 2025 Spring Trends.
At the same time, costs are higher than last year. Travelers can expect to pay about a 4% increase in price compared to last year, Hayley Berg, lead economist at Hopper, told USA TODAY.
"I know the 4% increase sounds intimidating ... but it's very much in line historically with where we were before the pandemic," Berg said. On the plus side, round-trip domestic airfare is under $300 on average, and there are still some great deals out there for those who haven't finalized their plans.
"The biggest thing with spring break is really flexibility, and follow the deal not the destination," Berg added. "That's where you're going to get the most bang for your buck."
Here's everything travelers need to know about spring break travel 2025.
"If you can do one thing, do not travel between Passover and Easter weekend," said Berg. "This is a big vacation week for schools in the U.S." With travel demand peaking from April 13 to 20, airfare prices are surging by 33% compared to the first to weekends of March, according to Hopper's 2025 Spring Break Travel Outlook.
Other peak travel dates include the last two weekends of March and Mother's Day weekend on May 9-11, according to Expedia's Spring Travel Outlook. For the most part, late March through Early April will be the most expensive due to the high demand, Melanie Fish, vice president of global public relations for Expedia Brands, told USA TODAY in an email.
To avoid crowds and high prices, consider traveling in the last week of April or the first week of May. Domestic flights during this period can save you up to $55, while international flights in the last week of April are typically $155 cheaper.
◾ Spring break travel hack: If your only option is to travel during that high-demand holiday week, try to finesse a little bit of flexibility, like departing on a Tuesday and returning on a Wednesday, to avoid those hefty weekend prices. "You could save upwards of $175 just by shifting your dates to be weekday departures," Berg said.
It depends on where you're going. If you're planning to travel internationally, you should book ASAP, as prices are only expected to rise.
If you can afford some flexibility in your travel dates, there are still cheap flights to the perennial spring break destinations like Florida and the Caribbean in April, although you should book within the next two weeks. Airfare is around $275 to Orlando and $431 to Cancun, according to Hopper.
Take a quick scan on Hopper or Expedia's Flight Deals feature to browse a few warm-weather destinations with low airfare.
◾ Spring break travel hack: If you're looking for a weekend getaway, depart early on Saturday morning and return on Tuesday to save up to 25% on airfare.
While destinations in Mexico and the Caribbean – Cancun, San Juan, Punta Cana and Montego Bay – are popular as usual, some emerging destinations are also popping up this spring, especially where the U.S. dollar is strong. Rio de Janeiro, Curacao, Tokyo, Osaka and Istanbul are some of the fastest-growing destinations, according to Expedia.
Speaking of Japan – whose cherry blossoms draw in thousands of visitors during spring – travelers can save up 13% on airfare this year compared to last, Berg said. "It has to be the first time ever a long-haul flight away from the U.S. has shown up as a destination for spring break," she added. "For a lot of Gen Z and millennials, Tokyo has just captured their imaginations."
◾ Spring break travel hack: Wave season is also still going on – typically until the end of March – so travelers can save money on cruise packages with some of the major cruise lines, including discounts, onboard credits or free upgrades.
Here are some affordable flights for spring break 2025, according to Hopper:
Boston, Massachusetts to San Juan, Puerto Rico, for as low as $137 round-trip on Hopper
Chicago, Illinois to Cancun, Mexic,o for as low as $248 round-trip on Hopper
Los Angeles, California to Nassau, The Bahamas, for as low as $340 round-trip on Hopper
New York City, New York to Belize City, Belize for as low as $321 round-trip on Hopper
San Francisco, California to Montego Bay, Jamaica, for as low as $430 round-trip on Hopper
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: How travelers can score a good deal on spring break trips 2025

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

MrBeast says he spent $500K to rent out Disneyland for date with fiancée
MrBeast says he spent $500K to rent out Disneyland for date with fiancée

USA Today

time5 hours ago

  • USA Today

MrBeast says he spent $500K to rent out Disneyland for date with fiancée

MrBeast says he spent $500K to rent out Disneyland for date with fiancée Show Caption Hide Caption What to expect on your visit to Disney's Castaway Cay Castaway Cay is Disney's private island, reserved exclusively for Disney Cruise Line guests in the Bahamas. YouTube's most-subscribed-to content creator has once again made a larger-than-life purchase by paying $500,000 to rent out an entire Disneyland theme park for a "romantic date" with his fiancée. In a new YouTube video, MrBeast, the social media persona of Jimmy Donaldson, takes his fiancée Thea Booysen on six dates that range from $1 to $500,000, concluding with what he says was an evening at Disneyland all to themselves (in addition to a handful of friends and crew, of course). The group rode Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Pixar Pal-A-Round (the 150-foot-tall Ferris wheel); played several carnival-style games; and built custom lightsabers at Savi's Workshop in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. "There are no words to describe how special it is to have Disney all to ourselves," Donaldson said in the little over 17-minute video. "I think we all made memories that are going to last a lifetime." Birthdays at Disneyland: Duchess Meghan, Prince Harry take Archie and Lilibet to Disneyland for birthday MrBeast is not the first celeb to rent out Disneyland On Feb. 27, 1992, actress Elizabeth Taylor rented out all of Disneyland to celebrate her 60th birthday. The entire park shut down for the birthday bash, which required extra security. Hundreds of celebrities attended the party, which proved to be a successful marketing promotion for Disney. Theme parks: New report finds Disneyland, Disney World contribute $67B to US economy Can you actually rent out all of Disneyland? Disney did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on MrBeast's video or consumers' ability to rent out an entire theme park. However, several Disney-centric blogs like Magic Guides say it is not possible. "Closing down the resort for a day would be a public relations nightmare and would severely disrupt how guests could plan and book their trips," Magic Guides' author Joshua Powell wrote. Disneyland does offer some private and after-hours experiences, though, like Disney After Hours, in which customers can purchase tickets for three extended hours after the park's traditional closing time. The theme park also offers Disney's Fair Tale Weddings & Honeymoons, which allows couples and their family to rent various venues, including The Sleeping Beauty Castle Forecourt and Small World Mall. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@

MrBeast says he spent $500K to rent out Disneyland for date with fiancée
MrBeast says he spent $500K to rent out Disneyland for date with fiancée

Yahoo

time5 hours ago

  • Yahoo

MrBeast says he spent $500K to rent out Disneyland for date with fiancée

YouTube's most-subscribed-to content creator has once again made a larger-than-life purchase by paying $500,000 to rent out an entire Disneyland theme park for a "romantic date" with his fiancée. In a new YouTube video, MrBeast, the social media persona of Jimmy Donaldson, takes his fiancée Thea Booysen on six dates that range from $1 to $500,000, concluding with what he says was an evening at Disneyland all to themselves (in addition to a handful of friends and crew, of course). The group rode Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Pixar Pal-A-Round (the 150-foot-tall Ferris wheel); played several carnival-style games; and built custom lightsabers at Savi's Workshop in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge. "There are no words to describe how special it is to have Disney all to ourselves," Donaldson said in the little over 17-minute video. "I think we all made memories that are going to last a lifetime." Birthdays at Disneyland: Duchess Meghan, Prince Harry take Archie and Lilibet to Disneyland for birthday On Feb. 27, 1992, actress Elizabeth Taylor rented out all of Disneyland to celebrate her 60th birthday. The entire park shut down for the birthday bash, which required extra security. Hundreds of celebrities attended the party, which proved to be a successful marketing promotion for Disney. Theme parks: New report finds Disneyland, Disney World contribute $67B to US economy Disney did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's request for comment on MrBeast's video or consumers' ability to rent out an entire theme park. However, several Disney-centric blogs like Magic Guides say it is not possible. "Closing down the resort for a day would be a public relations nightmare and would severely disrupt how guests could plan and book their trips," Magic Guides' author Joshua Powell wrote. Disneyland does offer some private and after-hours experiences, though, like Disney After Hours, in which customers can purchase tickets for three extended hours after the park's traditional closing time. The theme park also offers Disney's Fair Tale Weddings & Honeymoons, which allows couples and their family to rent various venues, including The Sleeping Beauty Castle Forecourt and Small World Mall. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@ This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MrBeast says he rented out Disneyland for fiancée, paid $500K

The ‘Gates of Hell' Are Closing. That's a Pretty Big Problem.
The ‘Gates of Hell' Are Closing. That's a Pretty Big Problem.

Yahoo

time8 hours ago

  • Yahoo

The ‘Gates of Hell' Are Closing. That's a Pretty Big Problem.

"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links." Here's what you'll learn when you read this story: The Darvaza gas crater—also known as the 'Gates of Hell'—has been burning continuously for years thanks to its steady supply of seeping methane gas. A new report from the Agence France-Presse suggests that the rate of gas flow has decreased by a third over the course of recent observations. Reports from previous years suggest that the government may be siphoning off the gas using nearby wells. On planet Earth, fire is usually a transient phenomenon—even the strongest of wildfires will eventually succumb to human and/or meteorological intervention. But the same can't be said for the Darvaza gas crater in Turkmenistan, known colloquially as the 'Gates of Hell.' This natural gas field has been burning continuously for decades thanks to its steady supply of seeping methane, and in that time, this devilish pit has become one of the country's most popular tourist attractions despite its location in the middle of the Karakum desert, roughly 160 miles north of the capital city of Ashgabat. Turkmenistan's authoritarian leader, Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, has previously stated that he wants to snuff out the Gates of Hell once and for all (though the latest pronouncement came years after he reportedly went off-roading around the crater). Now, a new report suggests those efforts may be bearing fruit. Last Thursday, officials in Turkmenistan said that gas being emitted from the pit has diminished three-fold, though the Agence France-Presse (AFP) reports that no timeframe for this gaseous decrease was provided. This news is in line with previous reports last year that satellite observations of the Gates of Hell showed a 50 percent decline in emissions. Despite its status as a popular tourist attraction (at least, for a recluse country like Turkmenistan), there's some debate about how the gas crater initially formed. The popular story goes that Soviet prospectors accidentally collapsed a mine in the 1960s and then lit the gas on fire, but local reporting says that the fire was actually started in the 1980s to prevent the harmful gas from escaping. As National Geographic reported in 2013, there are no records or reports of the gas field's initial formation. Although the never-ending burn pit draws its fair share of pyromaniacs, closing off the pit is likely for the best for many reasons. The harmful gas impacts the local population and contributes to climate change—especially since methane is an extremely potent greenhouse gas (much more so than carbon dioxide). Berdymukhamedov has called for the closure of the gas crater for at least 15 years, and while filling the pit has been considered, most experts say that the gas would likely just escape somewhere else. However, in the last few years, it appears that the government has made some progress. In 2024, CNN reported that the government was drilling exploratory wells near the crater—both to draw away the pit's methane and to leverage the natural resource for other purposes—but due to the country's secretive nature, CNN adds that these reports are only rumors. Of course, as the flames of the Darvaza gas crater slowly flicker out, some locals are concerned about the loss of tourism dollars from people flocking to the area to see the strange phenomenon. Extinguishing the 'Gates of Hell' may only be the beginning of Turkmenistan's problems. You Might Also Like The Do's and Don'ts of Using Painter's Tape The Best Portable BBQ Grills for Cooking Anywhere Can a Smart Watch Prolong Your Life?

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store