I know, I know. Fall has just started and the kids only recently went back to school.
Most of us are truly only thinking about winter break and what our plans will be for that.
But if you know your family will want to take a trip this next spring break, it really is the time now to be thinking about it.
There are a number of reasons why this is true, but I’m going to walk you through it.
Most resort destinations — including theme parks, cruise lines and all-inclusive resorts — begin with what is often called a rack rate. Think of it as your starting point.
The lower we can get that starting price, the lower your ultimate vacation cost can be when discounts become available later.
One of the best ways to get a lower starting price is to book before the winter holiday rush. As more people start adding spring break trips to their plans, pricing can increase. Vacation pricing is not necessarily static; in many cases, it responds to demand.
This is also where having a travel advisor can be especially helpful. I can book your trip at the current available rate and then monitor for applicable promotions. If a better offer comes out later, I can often retroactively apply that discount to your existing reservation, rather than you having to start all over again.
In other words: you don’t necessarily have to wait for a sale to start planning.
If your spring break vacation involves flying, airfare will likely be one of your biggest cost considerations.
It’s no secret that airfare can be expensive during school breaks, and spring break is particularly challenging because so many families are traveling within a relatively short window.
Think about winter break. Not everyone travels. Plenty of families stay home, have relatives visit or spread their travel dates across the holiday season.
Summer break is different, too. It’s much longer, and families have more flexibility to travel at different times throughout June, July and August.
Spring break, on the other hand, is often one week when a huge number of families in the same area are all trying to get out of town at roughly the same time.
The airlines know this — and pricing reflects demand.
That’s why I like to get my clients’ trips planned well in advance. Once we know where you’re going and what flights you’ll need, we can monitor airfare rather than simply buying tickets the moment your vacation is booked.
I have clients who ask, “Okay, we’re booked! Should we get our flights now?”
And sometimes my answer is, “No, no, no. We’re going to wait.”
I’ll monitor the pricing and let them know when it’s time to buy based on the fares we’re seeing. The earlier we get that monitoring started, the more information we have to work with.
Finally, there’s the simple reality that spring break inventory can disappear quickly.
We know that a lot of families want to get out of town during spring break. After months of cold weather, shorter days and school routines, the appeal of sunshine, beaches and warm-weather destinations is pretty strong.
Hotels, cruise ships and all-inclusive resorts can reach capacity quickly — particularly the most desirable room categories, dates and locations.
And if you have your heart set on a particular resort, cruise itinerary, room category or destination, you don’t want to find out in January that it’s no longer available.
Booking in September or October gives you a much better chance of having your pick rather than choosing from whatever happens to be left.
So yes, I realize it feels a little ridiculous to be talking about spring break when we’re still pulling out the sweaters and figuring out everyone’s new school routines.
But if spring break travel is on your family’s calendar, now is actually the perfect time to start.
I am a travel agent specializing in family destinations, and I can help you choose the right destination, find the right resort or cruise, monitor pricing and airfare, and keep an eye out for opportunities to save along the way. Reach me at ericat@friendlikemetravel.com to start planning your spring break getaway.
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