Here's When You Should Book Your Spring Break Flight If You Wanna Save Cash

It's never too early to start thinking about spring break travel plans, even if it's still winter. Booking earlier can save you from overspending on your trip and give you more money to designate to the festivities. Here's when to book spring break 2020 flights to save some serious cash.

Thanks to Expedia's data based on last year's demand, booking your spring break flight doesn't have to be such a guessing game. Expedia PR Manager Alexis Tiacoh says the best time to book your airfare for the busy travel season is from 21 to 30 days ahead of your trip. The best months to travel in the spring are March and May, with cheaper prices on flights and hotels. While spring break dates vary depending on your college or university, the season begins in late February and lasts through mid-April.

Usually, most travelers will have spring break somewhere in the month of March, so booking your flight ahead is important if you want to save your money. If you're not a university student and you're taking spring break with some of your PTO, you might have a bit more flexibility in booking dates. Luckily, Tiacoh says the cheapest weeks to travel in spring are the third week of May, the second week of March, and the third week of April, which means there are options.

If you're booking a hotel, you might want to wait a bit longer to lock it down. You'll save more money if you book the room anywhere from 13 days ahead to the day of your trip, based on Expedia's booking demand data from March 1 through May 31, 2019. Expedia's Spring Sale will give you an extra way to save on hotels from Monday, Feb. 24 through Sunday, March 1, so mark your calendar for when that starts. You'll also save more if you choose to bundle your travel bookings, as Tiacoh says travelers save an average of more than $400 by planning their spring break trips this way.

Expedia's 2020 data also helps nail down the most popular spring destinations based on demand. Some of the popular bookings for trips include cities like Orlando, Fort Lauderdale, or Miami in Florida; Los Angeles, San Diego, or Palm Springs in California; Houston, Austin, or Dallas in Texas; Cancun, Mexico; Las Vegas, Nevada; New Orleans, Louisiana; and New York City.

Budget-friendly travel cities for spring break include Nashville, Tennessee, for an average ticket price of $347; Tampa, Orlando, or West Palm Beach in Florida for an average of $337; Atlanta, Georgia, for an average of $335; Denver, Colorado, for $334; and Charlotte, North Carolina, for an average cost of $314.

Planning spring break doesn't have to be stressful if you plan ahead. If you want to book your trip on a budget, get ready, because good prices for spring break flights will go fast.