Spring is rapidly approaching which means it’s time to start planning those spring vacations that can take you far away from the cold of winter. Some estimates are saying that spring break fares are going to be lower this year than average, so there’s really no better time to start making plans.

To get the best deals this year you should be focusing on taking direct flights, and you don’t have to think too far outside the box to make it a great destination.

Cities like Fort Myers, Miami, Honolulu, and Kahului, are all expected to have cheaper than normal flight fares this year. Some of the more popular spring break destinations tend to of course be a little more popular throughout the season, such as places like San Diego, San Juan, Cancun, and Orlando.

Places that are expected to be a little less crowded while still offering affordable travel deals include Cabo, Daytona Beach, and Cozumel.

The peak time for school spring breaks are between March 23rd and April 6th, which means that those times will be extra busy. To avoid the student rush you might want to book outside of those windows. Besides there being overcrowding at certain locations, spring break is also a time when the flights and hotel prices go way up in cost.

If you will still be traveling during the peak spring break times you are best off booking well in advance to get reasonable flight deals, which is possible. But that means you should start booking now!

Last minute travel can be a good option for getting deals in some circumstances, but when it comes to peak times like spring break booking within a couple days of your departure date can increase the ticket sale prices by as much as 66 percent, which is quite a hefty and unnecessary increase.

When traveling with the family there are a lot of options as well. Places like Florida are mostly covered in beaches, so do consider the often less traveled of the bunch would could even turn out to be more fun for the group than the more popular places.

If you don’t want to travel too far, spring break options like water parks or ski resorts are generally close to a lot of people and won’t necessarily break the bank when it comes to booking. Anywhere you can drive of course will make things much more simple as well as cheaper.