2022 Spring Break Travel Report

Flights

• Those flying domestically should expect to pay $290/round-trip for flights departing in mid-March, which is still down 6% from 2019. Prices are currently ~$250/round-trip for flights departing mid-March, but are forecasted to rise 45% (to ~$365) between now and the week before departure. We’d recommend booking at least 3 weeks in advance to get the best deals. 

• Those flying internationally can expect to pay $690/round-trip, down 14% from 2019. Prices are currently ~$610/round-trip, and are expected to rise to $800 the week before departure. We’d recommend booking international tickets at least 3-4 weeks in advance to avoid the biggest increases in prices for last minute fares. 

Hotels

• Travelers should expect to pay about $165/night for hotels over Spring Break (mid-March), an 8% increase from February prices around $153/night. 

• Destin-Ft. Walton Beach, FL (#1), Moab, UT (#2), and Panama City Beach, FL (#3) were the trending hotel destinations seeing a significant increase in searches and prices for Spring Break. 

Rental Cars

• Rental Car prices are trending similarly to 2021, following usual seasonal patterns. For Spring Break (mid-March), travelers should expect to pay around $70/day for a rental car, before fees such as taxes and insurance.

Flights

Domestic: Those flying domestically should expect to pay $290/round-trip for flights departing in mid-March, which is still down 6% from 2019 ($310/round-trip) but up 21% from 2021 ($240/round-trip). We omit comparisons to 2020 since Spring 2020 was the initial impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Prices are currently ~$250/round-trip for flights departing mid-March, but are forecasted to rise 45% (to ~$365) between now and the week before departure. We’d recommend booking at least 3 weeks in advance to get the best deals. 

International: Those flying internationally can expect to pay $690/round-trip, down 14% from 2019 ($800/round-trip), and roughly equal to 2021 prices ($680/round-trip). 

Prices are currently ~$610/round-trip, and are expected to rise to $800 the week before departure. We’d recommend booking international tickets at least 3-4 weeks in advance to avoid the biggest increases in prices for last minute fares. 

Hotels

Travelers should expect to pay about $165/night for hotels over Spring Break (mid-March), an 8% increase from February prices around $153/night. 

Trending Domestic Hotel Destinations for Spring Break

Here were the hottest markets for Spring Break, filtered for destinations that saw a significant increase in hotel searches on Hopper and ranked by the price change for mid-March check-ins compared to prior weekends. 

While many markets will see higher prices in the spring, a few will see lower prices. Coming off its seasonally pricier ski season, Lake Tahoe saw the biggest drop in prices, down 23% (from $229/night to $177/night).  Honolulu, Hawaii will be down 5% (from $202/night to $192/night). We include New Orleans in this Top 5 list for completeness, but the price drop is primarily attributable to the significantly more expensive Mardi Gras weekend celebrations just prior to our timeline for Spring Break (mid-March).

Price changes and search patterns suggest travelers are heading to the beaches this Spring Break, with southeast beach towns along the Florida panhandle, Texas, and South Carolina seeing some of the biggest price increases for mid-March. Outdoor oriented towns such as Moab, UT, Grand Canyon, AZ and Gatlinburg, TN are also trending higher. 

Among big cities, Austin, TX (which will host SXSW March 11-20) saw the biggest increase in prices at $277/night (+54%) in mid-March, followed by San Antonio, TX at $185/night (+27%), and Boston, MA at $201/night (+24%). Only San Antonio appears in our Top 10 trending list since it also saw a significant increase in hotel searches on Hopper, but Washington D.C. almost made the list at #12. The National Cherry Blossom festival begins in D.C. March 20th. 

Rental Cars

Rental Car prices are trending similarly to 2021, following usual seasonal patterns. For Spring Break (mid-March), travelers should expect to pay around $70/day for a rental car, before fees such as taxes and insurance. $70/day is equal YoY from 2021 prices. Our rental car partner suppliers have advised that car inventory remains a challenge and is lower than normal. We recommend reserving your rental car as early as possible for your Spring Break travel to ensure availability at the time of pick up.