Ready or not, spring break is going to come up fast. The best way to get a good deal on spring break tickets? Start planning early! The best time to book spring break tickets varies based on where you want to go, but typically, the earlier you can book your flights, the better. Stop what you’re doing, go check your spring break calendar and start a group chat with the crew to figure out where you want to go. The sooner you start planning, the more options you’ll have for cheap flights (and cheap accommodations). 

Ready for our recommendations for the best time to book spring break flights? Just keep scrolling. We’ve sorted by region, so you can see the cheapest time to buy depending on where you wanna go.

Spring Break Travel Deals in the US

Don’t let a short spring break stop you from getting away. Did you know that the majority of our most popular spring break destinations are actually in the US? Explore a new city with a trip to New York or Seattle, or plan a beach trip with your besties and head to Miami, Los Angeles or Orlando. Tickets for spring break flights in the US are cheapest between December and February. Best advice? Plan ahead if you can. Start making spring break plans over your winter break, or as soon as you get your schedule for spring. Watch for the lowest prices in late January!

when to book

Takeaway: Book your domestic spring break tickets during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales or over your winter break.

Spring Break Travel Deals in Europe

Spring break may be short, but anytime is a good time for Europe, right? The weather in many places in Europe is mild in the spring months. Besides, many cities are much less crowded in the spring compared to the summer. Another plus for Europe? Flights to Europe stay low and steady pretty much all fall and even into January. The bad news is that once mid- to late-January arrives, those Europe prices jump up fast. The average ticket price in mid-February is sometimes over $300 more than it was in December. With Europe, it pays to plan ahead and get a great deal. Luckily for you, our best sales of the year are usually on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which is about the same time spring break tickets to Europe are at their lowest. 

when to buy

Takeaway: The best time to book spring break flights to Europe is during Black Friday and Cyber Monday sales or over your winter break. Prices tend to jump in late January. 

Spring Break Beach Deals

Who doesn’t want a spring break at the beach? Hop on over to Cancun, San Juan or anywhere in the Caribbean and you’re sure to have an amazing spring break. The best news? Unlike other spring break destinations, fares to Mexico and the Caribbean tend to hold steady longer—meaning it’s the perfect destination if you need a trip last-minute. If you’re planning a Caribbean trip, be patient! Although prices start dropping in the fall, flights for a Caribbean spring break tend to be cheapest in January, so don’t book too soon. You’ll find the best prices at the beginning of the spring semester.

Takeaway: Mexico and the Caribbean can be ideal destinations for last-minute spring break tickets. Book in late January for the best deals. 

When’s the best time to fly for spring break?

Pro tip: Most people leave for spring break on Friday or Saturday, but the cheapest day to fly out for spring break is Monday! If you want to save some cash, you can sometimes save up to $100 just by leaving on a different day of the week. Give yourself a weekend at school to sleep, catch up on homework or explore a nearby city before departing for your adventures.

When is the best day of the week to book flights?

StudentUniverse has exclusive contracts with airline partners which not only allows us to offer you special pricing, but also means our price trends will vary compared to other booking sites. For example, booking date and time don’t make a huge difference in pricing on StudentUniverse. Feel free to book on Tuesday morning, Friday at midnight or Sunday afternoon. We’ve got great prices all the time. 

When are flights the cheapest?

If you’re looking for the cheapest flights possible, our best advice is to start looking early and be flexible! We really can’t emphasize this enough—if you are flexible with what days you want to fly, or even with where you want to go, you are much more likely to get a good deal. In addition, if you start looking early, you’ll be able to see when a cheap flight comes up and buy it before it sells out.

Ready to start searching for spring break flights? We’ve got all the deals you need with our cheap student flights.