Farecast.com is reporting that consumers will pay 10 percent to 12 percent more for spring-break travel this year and that knowing where to travel can save up to $100 or more per ticket.
The Web site suggests that families try to avoid peak U.S. college spring breaks, which are falling between March 8 and 22 this year. That's when domestic tickets are peaking at around $300. If you must fly during these weeks, you can save money by flying during the week or going the first or last week of March.
Farecast.com reports that traveling on Friday, Saturday or Sunday will typically cost an extra $50 per ticket and a Tuesday-to-Tuesday trip can save money.
The site says college students looking for fun in the sun might want to avoid a party hotspot such as Cancun and instead travel to less busy destinations such as Nassau in the Bahamas or Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, where fares can be $30 to $90 less.
Jacqueline Tanzella, representing Farecast.com, offered some interesting spring-break ideas and information about travel from Salt Lake City International.
March 22, a Saturday, is the peak airline travel day this year, with typical airfares departing this day hitting over $380. If you can depart on March 25, you can save $100.
The best deals include:
* Salt Lake to Las Vegas, March 15-20, $118 round trip.
* Salt Lake City to LAX, March 15-22, $199 round trip.
* Salt Lake City to San Francisco, fares down 40 percent to about $180 on this route.
According to Farecast.com, the best deals for Utahns willing to make connecting flights are from Seattle to Puerto Vallarta and San Francisco to Cancun.
Orbitz.com's insider picks for spring break travel include Cusco, Peru; Tucson; St. Lucia; skiing in Banff and Lake Louise in Alberta, Canada; and visiting the Golden Isles and Colonial Coast of Georgia.
A good general Web site to get information on travel tips, passport information, safety concerns and planning is the American Society of Travel Agents consumer site at www.travelsense.org. The site has a specific link to student travel.
