Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Caribbean

Flights to the Caribbean are $700+. Direct flights over $1000. It’s crazy expensive to fly for spring break. Hoping it goes down

+1. We ended up booking a cruise and are driving to Florida to avoid that cost and the possibility of flight delays.

We missed an entire trip in June when United melted down and couldn't get us to our destination for 5 additional days. I don't want to take that risk at spring break when we don't have extra days to sit in airports.

We’re taking the kids out of school 3 days prior to spring break week and doing an all inclusive in the DR. Flights were literally half the price.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fam of 5 with 3 kids - 2,6 and 7. We normally go to Florida for spring break but when I price it out this year it seems expensive. About 12 K for a house in siesta key for a week and flights out Chicago. Any other ideas for where we could go for this amount of money that would ideally be warm?

Next year book earlier, way earlier. It’s a huge part of your issue. We booked spring break this past summer and always do. Stay in a hotel instead of a house or stay a few blocks off the beach. Also consider cruising. Even spring break week would be way less than $12k even with flights (as long as you don’t do Disney.)

+1

Cruising can be cheaper.

But flights were already expensive this summer.

We got nonstop DCA to PHX for $400RT.

Anonymous wrote:Caribbean

Flights to the Caribbean are $700+. Direct flights over $1000. It’s crazy expensive to fly for spring break. Hoping it goes down

Anonymous wrote:We’re doing CR for 4. Booked in August. Flights $3900. Hotel- family resort that is highly recommended and 3*- $2,700. 6 nights plus one night near airport. No rental car. Will need to pay food, airport transfers, and activities. Hopefully still under $10k.

Not likely. The above only leaves you $3k if you don't want to go over 10K.

Food is pretty expensive in CR ad are activities. Everything there, even basic hike are on private land and charge a fee. Transfers are not cheap.

We’re doing CR for 4. Booked in August. Flights $3900. Hotel- family resort that is highly recommended and 3*- $2,700. 6 nights plus one night near airport. No rental car. Will need to pay food, airport transfers, and activities. Hopefully still under $10k.

Do google flights explore feature and see where you can fly and for what price. I always pay less than <$12K/week for a house rental. I most often use VRBO or airbnb but I occasionally use local realtors. Family of 5 also. I'm not super familiar with Siesta Key but you're doing something wrong with how you're searching for houses to only find that price in
FL - look outside of Siesta Key, I guess.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Fam of 5 with 3 kids - 2,6 and 7. We normally go to Florida for spring break but when I price it out this year it seems expensive. About 12 K for a house in siesta key for a week and flights out Chicago. Any other ideas for where we could go for this amount of money that would ideally be warm?

Next year book earlier, way earlier. It’s a huge part of your issue. We booked spring break this past summer and always do. Stay in a hotel instead of a house or stay a few blocks off the beach. Also consider cruising. Even spring break week would be way less than $12k even with flights (as long as you don’t do Disney.)

+1

Cruising can be cheaper.

But flights were already expensive this summer.

Anonymous wrote:The OP contains the word Chicago, so if hats is where they live, that’s a ton of driving for a week.

Start with flights - where can you get for a reasonable fare?

Chicago to Orange Beach is 14.5 hours. The Florida gulf coast is 30 minutes further. Tons of Chicagoans make that drive, just as tons of dc folks schlep down to FL by car.

Flights for 5 people will be expensive. Period. Either drive and save $5k or find dramatically less expensive accommodations. They’ll still need a rental car if they fly ($1k+).

Signed,

Mother of big family who knows what travel costs

Anonymous wrote:Fam of 5 with 3 kids - 2,6 and 7. We normally go to Florida for spring break but when I price it out this year it seems expensive. About 12 K for a house in siesta key for a week and flights out Chicago. Any other ideas for where we could go for this amount of money that would ideally be warm?

Next year book earlier, way earlier. It’s a huge part of your issue. We booked spring break this past summer and always do. Stay in a hotel instead of a house or stay a few blocks off the beach. Also consider cruising. Even spring break week would be way less than $12k even with flights (as long as you don’t do Disney.)

We are going to Costa Rica for a week and it should be less than 12k. Plane tickets and lodging are 6K. I really hope we do not spend another 6K on activities and transportation!

The OP contains the word Chicago, so if hats is where they live, that’s a ton of driving for a week.

Start with flights - where can you get for a reasonable fare?

Drive to Orange Beach or down to FL and you’ll save nearly $5k. (That’s why we’re driving to FL instead of flying for winter break.)

Look for an air/hotel package for FL or the Caribbean.

Caribbean

Fam of 5 with 3 kids - 2,6 and 7. We normally go to Florida for spring break but when I price it out this year it seems expensive. About 12 K for a house in siesta key for a week and flights out Chicago. Any other ideas for where we could go for this amount of money that would ideally be warm?