METRO DETROIT (WXYZ) — The cold weather may have you thinking about that trip for spring break, and travel experts tell me you should be looking now to avoid those platinum prices for paradise.
Watch Peter's report in the video player below
"The trips have been very expensive," said Steve Votaw from Dexter.
Spring break is a tradition for many families in Michigan. But this year, the price tag is higher than expected, and flights, hotel reservations, and car rental reservations are filling up fast, driving the price up, especially when you wait last minute.
I spoke with travel expert David Fishman, who tells me this year is the perfect storm for higher airfare if you're flying out of Detroit. The reason? Spring break and Easter coincide this year.
"You should try and plan your spring break as far ahead as possible," said the founder of Cadillac Travel. "Knowing the sooner that you can try getting things for spring break, like do it tomorrow, do it today. So get on top of it real fast. Be flexible, look at different options, look at those shoulder seasons or off-season areas that would give you the opportunity to save money."
There are other ways you can save money while booking your spring break vacation:
- You can fly out midweek, on a Tuesday or Wednesday
- You can use miles or points to reserve airfare or hotel stays
- You can fly into and out of a less busy airport
- You can travel to an area that's not in peak season
Votaw said his wife was shocked at how much flights were out of Detroit to Mexico. She shopped around and was able to find a cheaper flight out of another airport.
"It was 1,200 dollars for the flights per person," he said. "We're hoping to wait maybe to find them cheaper, but she ended up booking a flight out of Cincinnati instead, just to try to get a cheaper fare...it was probably $500 versus $2,400."
Jim Aldrich and his family decided to take their spring break much earlier this year, to save money and to beat the crowds.
"We looked at both options, and this was certainly cheaper for us, and it made a lot more sense," Aldrich said. "We're going to Disney World. We're super excited. It's my daughter's first time going. So we thought rather than go during the summer time and spring break when it's overly busy, we want to go now when the lines are shorter and you know it makes it work."
Travel experts also recommend setting fare alerts and looking for last-minute deals, though those are becoming harder to find.
