Spring Break Travel Trends, Hot Destinations and Affordable Flights

by Laurie Baratti
Last updated: 5:45 PM ET, Thu March 7, 2024

The Spring Break travel scene is shaping up a bit differently this year than in the past, partly due to the imminent arrival of the highly anticipated North American solar eclipse, which will occur on April 8. Experts at the Great American Eclipse have predicted that anywhere between one and four million Americans will travel to witness the rare celestial phenomenon in all its glory.

So, this year, instead of seeking destinations where they can bask in endless sunshine, plenty of U.S. travelers are heading for spots in the path of the eclipse’s totality—places where the sun will appear to be completely obscured by the moon passing between it and the Earth. Trending destinations that lie along this path are seeing an increase in searches on Priceline, according to the site’s data, including Indianapolis (+102 percent), Dallas (+46 percent), Niagara Falls (+20 percent), and San Antonio (+7 percent).

Priceline’s research revealed that celestially-inspired travel is definitely trending with the approach of spring, but it also found that those who are looking abroad for their spring vacations are looking eastward. The major metasearch engine discovered that searches for Asian destinations are significantly on the rise for the first time since the pandemic struck. Now that their borders have reopened, major search spikes for spots like Hong Kong (+259 percent), Taipei (+$274 percent), and Bangkok (+483 percent) are evidence of travelers’ increasing appetites for Asian adventures.

Another fascinating, yet somewhat odd, trend identified by Priceline surrounding Spring Break travel is something is referred to as “loud budgeting”. The company’s latest trip-planning survey showed that more than one-quarter of travelers find discovering the best deals to be the most thrilling part of booking their future vacations. Priceline’s analysis also indicated those hunting for travel deals this April look to be in luck.

According to Priceline, the average cost of roundtrip flights to such popular destinations as Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New Orleans and Tampa for dates in April is down more than 15 percent from the same period last year. In fact, the OTA used its propriety data to put together a list of the most affordable Spring Break destinations for the month of April, according to the average cost of a roundtrip flight.

Total solar eclipse seen amid the clouds.

Cheapest Spring Break Destinations for April 2024, By Flight Costs:

Domestic	International
Denver, Colorado $228	Medellin, Colombia $346
Chicago, Illinois $234	Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic $384
Orlando, Florida $234	San Salvador, El Salvador $384
Miami, Florida $243	Tulum, Mexico $389
Detroit, Michigan $246	Santiago, Dominican Republic $402
Houston, Texas $246	Guadalajara, Mexico $416
New York, New York $253	Nassau, Bahamas $429
Tampa, Florida $271	San Jose, Costa Rica $441
Minneapolis, Minnesota $274	Belize City, Belize $457
Las Vegas, Nevada $275	Cartagena, Colombia $461

Priceline also compiled a list of the trendiest Spring Break destinations, as determined by flight searches, with a breakdown of how much a roundtrip flight will cost customers on average.

Trending Spring Break Destinations, According To Flight Searches:

Domestic	International
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma $375	Tokyo, Japan $1388
Buffalo, New York $362	Shanghai, China $2508
Dallas, Texas $326	Panama City, Panama $506
Ft Myers, Florida $297	Mazatlan, Mexico $690
Cleveland, Ohio $296	Lima, Peru $599
Memphis, Tennessee $323	Cairo, Egypt $1037
Albuquerque, New Mexico $412	Lagos, Nigeria $1410
San Antonio, Texas $390	Calgary, Canada $416
Indianapolis, Indiana $375	Managua, Nicaragua $362
St Louis, Missouri $334	Aguascalientes, Mexico $587