Spring break ideas from beaches and new museums to Europe and spring training
NEW YORK Spring break is right around the corner. For some travellers, that means seeking out beaches and sunshine. Others may be tempted by Europe, which has become more affordable for Americans, or by spring skiing.
AIRFARE, DESTINATIONS AND BOOKINGS
Airfares vary considerably this time of year. Travelers not tied to a holiday week may find flights are cheaper at other times. Most colleges schedule a week off in March, but family vacations often revolve around school breaks for Easter (April 16 this year) or Passover (beginning April 10).
Booking.com’s data shows that travel March 18-April 30 will be 2 per cent more expensive overall than last year, but a few domestic destinations are cheaper, including New Orleans, 8 per cent cheaper than last spring; Miami Beach, 4 per cent cheaper; and Tampa, Florida, 9 per cent cheaper.
And take a look at Europe: A strong U.S. dollar has made vacations there much more affordable for Americans.
Expedia's top 10 destinations for March and April are Cancun, Mexico, followed by Orlando, Florida; Las Vegas; New York; Miami; Los Angeles; London; Punta Cana, Dominican Republic; Phoenix and Paris.
American Express Travel’s top five international destinations are London, Cancun, Rome, Paris and Tel Aviv. But American Express reports a few other spots spiking compared with last year, with spring bookings to Iceland up 150 per cent, to Auckland, New Zealand, up 129 per cent, to Madrid up 114 per cent, to Casablanca, Morocco, 103 per cent, and Zurich, 101 per cent.
AAA's bookings have three Florida destinations — Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami — in the top five domestic destinations, along with Anaheim, California (home to Disneyland), and Las Vegas. Internationally, AAA’s top five are Punta Cana, Rome, Jamaica, London and the Bahamas.
At Student Universe, which caters to travellers 18-26, top spring break destinations are London; Los Angeles; New York; Miami; Paris; Madrid; Orlando; Barcelona, Spain; Cancun; San Juan, Puerto Rico; Tokyo and Dublin.
Debbie Sebastian, a Travel Leaders agent in Danville, Kentucky, says she’s seeing lots of “groups travelling with Punta Cana being the most popular choice this year. The flight times and charter options make it a great option.”
SPRING SKIING, SPRING TRAINING
Some ski resorts schedule fun events to mark the end of winter, from concerts to costume contests and parties with a beach-and-barbecue theme. Vail, Colorado’s Spring Back to Vail festival is April 14-16 and includes the World Pond Skimming Championships, where skiers land in the water. Breckenridge, Colorado, has a Spring Fever festival, April 123.
Baseball fans often schedule trips to catch their favourite MLB teams getting ready for opening day. Late February through April 1, the Cactus League plays in the Phoenix area, the Grapefruit League plays in Florida. CULTURE VULTURES Not everybody hits the beach for spring break and not every family heads to theme parks. Wendy Perrin, founder of the travel planning site WendyPerrin.com, says her best spring vacations with two boys have been to Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia; Paris; and a Panama Canal cruise. This year, she's taking the family to Morocco, “to introduce the kids to a completely different culture.”
If you like visiting museums, note two important openings this spring: the American Writers Museum in Chicago on May 16 and the Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia on April 19.
Other noteworthy events include the Whitney Museum of American Art’s Biennial 2017 in New York, a contemporary art survey opening March 17; in Kansas City, Missouri, special exhibitions at the National World War I Museum and an April 6 commemoration of the centennial of America’s 1917 entry into the war. A new attraction opens at Graceland in early March, “Elvis Presley’s Memphis,” with museum exhibits, a stage and more.