"Affordable" spring break destinations that are not Florida

[Anonymous]

Nothing against Florida, we like it and usually go there for spring break. We just got back again. I'm thinking next year for spring break I'd like to try something different but still affordable since we usually take a pricier summer trip and don't have unlimited budget. I had been thinking AZ but was really turned off by how cold it was there for this spring break. Also our spring break is the last week of March next year.

Thanks in advance.

[Anonymous]

What is affordable? We like Aruba and find it affordable but we prioritize vacations over things like clothes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is affordable? We like Aruba and find it affordable but we prioritize vacations over things like clothes.

OP here. We usually spend about $300pp on flights (booked far in advance) and $300/night on hotels.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is affordable? We like Aruba and find it affordable but we prioritize vacations over things like clothes.

OP here. We usually spend about $300pp on flights (booked far in advance) and $300/night on hotels.

airfares are going up, you may have to adjust your airfare budget.

Do you want a beach vacation? Or maybe try a hiking or city instead?

[Anonymous]

You could consider driving to Gatlinburg / Great Smoky Mountains - I know a few people who did that this year.

Next year with spring break at the end of March we decided to go to SLC for a week and ski.

It is my understanding that during spring break GC was snowing this year but Phoenix area was warm fwiw. The fun hotels Phoenix hotels with slides and lazy rivers were out of my price range during spring break ($700/night) last time I checked tho.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is affordable? We like Aruba and find it affordable but we prioritize vacations over things like clothes.

OP here. We usually spend about $300pp on flights (booked far in advance) and $300/night on hotels.

airfares are going up, you may have to adjust your airfare budget.

Do you want a beach vacation? Or maybe try a hiking or city instead?

I'd be willing to pay a little more in airfare but not much. We are always able to get Florida for $300 or less. Like I said, this is not our main vacation for the year, its a "budget" trip relatively speaking. Just curious if anyone had any other suggestions. Would definitely be open to hiking or a city, but don't want to go anywhere cold. Doesn't have to be Florida-warm, just not cold.

[Anonymous]

Savannah/Tybee and Hilton Head are pretty cheap but not Florida warm, 50-50 on how warm the weather is that time of year but the ocean won’t be warm enough to swim in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could consider driving to Gatlinburg / Great Smoky Mountains - I know a few people who did that this year.

Next year with spring break at the end of March we decided to go to SLC for a week and ski.

It is my understanding that during spring break GC was snowing this year but Phoenix area was warm fwiw. The fun hotels Phoenix hotels with slides and lazy rivers were out of my price range during spring break ($700/night) last time I checked tho.

We did this and it was so much fun! The Smoky Mountains are outstanding. Did the drive in a day.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You could consider driving to Gatlinburg / Great Smoky Mountains - I know a few people who did that this year.

Next year with spring break at the end of March we decided to go to SLC for a week and ski.

It is my understanding that during spring break GC was snowing this year but Phoenix area was warm fwiw. The fun hotels Phoenix hotels with slides and lazy rivers were out of my price range during spring break ($700/night) last time I checked tho.

We were in Phoenix last week and it was low-mid 60s and extremely windy 3 days in a row and then 70s-80s for the last 2 days of our trip. Not sure what it was the last week of March but it’s not a sure bet that it’ll be warm that time of year. It was still fun but the first few days was too cold (for us) to swim outside so we were a bit bummed about that. Some nice areas to hike though and you can usually get cheap airfare and decent hotel prices. We stayed in Tempe right near ASU which was a good location. It was about $300 pp plane ticket and $300 per night for hotel so right in your budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:What is affordable? We like Aruba and find it affordable but we prioritize vacations over things like clothes.

OP here. We usually spend about $300pp on flights (booked far in advance) and $300/night on hotels.

Good luck. I can’t even imagine the type of place that’s $300
A night during peak times.

[Anonymous]

Look into train fare. If you book far in advance you can get good deals (like BOGO) and then have more money to splurge on a nice hotel/activities. From DC you can easily take the train to NYC or Philadelphia if you want to do a city instead of beach spring break.

[Anonymous]

New poster here with the same question as OP. I’m realizing that there really aren’t many affordable options if you want warm weather. Especially if your spring break is in March.

[Anonymous]

You are unfortunately going to have to adjust your airfare price OR drive and deal with colder temps. Especially if you are traveling during spring break when prices tend to be 30% higher or more. I mean, a flight from DC to Philly is $300, and Acela from DC to NYC is $200. And those are non-peak prices. Just imagine what the prices would be going to a destination that’s further away, especially if it is warm and popular.

One option: deal with colder weather and drive to Ocean City, Charlotte, the Smokeys, or something like Philly or NYC. Likely stay closer to budget.

Another option: fly to a warmer destination like Aruba, San Diego, or Mexico City, but go for 4 days instead of 7 to stay near your budget.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:New poster here with the same question as OP. I’m realizing that there really aren’t many affordable options if you want warm weather. Especially if your spring break is in March.

This is definitely true.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You could consider driving to Gatlinburg / Great Smoky Mountains - I know a few people who did that this year.

Next year with spring break at the end of March we decided to go to SLC for a week and ski.

It is my understanding that during spring break GC was snowing this year but Phoenix area was warm fwiw. The fun hotels Phoenix hotels with slides and lazy rivers were out of my price range during spring break ($700/night) last time I checked tho.

We were in Phoenix last week and it was low-mid 60s and extremely windy 3 days in a row and then 70s-80s for the last 2 days of our trip. Not sure what it was the last week of March but it’s not a sure bet that it’ll be warm that time of year. It was still fun but the first few days was too cold (for us) to swim outside so we were a bit bummed about that. Some nice areas to hike though and you can usually get cheap airfare and decent hotel prices. We stayed in Tempe right near ASU which was a good location. It was about $300 pp plane ticket and $300 per night for hotel so right in your budget.

Good points.