It’s finally beginning to feel like spring.
Rain has arrived, flowers are pushing through the semi-thawed ground and spring break is quickly approaching. If you’re highly organized, you’ve already scheduled your upcoming trip and (let me stereotype highly organized people) you’re starting to stress about packing up the kids and getting on the move. But maybe you’re like me, and you’re sitting here thinking “What the heck are we going to do for spring break?” More importantly, “How can I find some cheap spring break trips?”
Don’t fret, Mamas! Punky and her family are with you. We love to travel and we prefer to travel on the cheap.
If you’re state-side, we’ve done some research on quick, easy and, of course, cheap spring break trips. Please note, we’re completely biased and madly in love with Southwest Airlines (no promos here), we just love them. I love that the bags fly free, how funny and kind the staff is and strangely enough I’m a sucker for free peanuts. All flights below were found on Southwest.com. You can find the cheapest rates by using their “flexible dates” feature, which doesn’t appear as an option until you type in specific dates from the homepage. Play around with different cities until you find a city in your budget. You can find fun anywhere. Here are some flights I found this morning:
Quick and Cheap Spring Break Trips
Atlanta to Houston from 3/27 to 3/31 is $128 Round Trip
Chicago to Detroit from 3/24 to 3/27 is $140 Round Trip
Boston to Baltimore from 3/24 to 3/28 is $128 Round Trip
LA to Phoenix from 3/26 to 3/31 is $165 Round Trip
Seattle to Denver from 3/26 to 3/21 is $90 Round Trip
(flights sourced on 3/2/18)
Hop on the plane and go have some fun!
Don’t over plan, each of these destination cities will have children museums, parks, a zoo, and hiking. You don’t have to plan elaborate or costly trips to theme parks. Let the kids be kids and take them to a new playground in a new city. If you have a membership to a museum or zoo in your hometown, check if you receive free or reduced admission to reciprocating venues. We’ve done this in the past and even wrote a post about it. It’s another resourceful tip to keeping your trip cost efficient.
As parents, we tend to overthink what our children need, maybe they just need an open field and the time to run. In the famous words of Mr. Banks in Mary Poppins, “Let’s go fly a kite.”
Utilize the Locals
On our most recent trip to Arizona, we researched hiking trails using the magical resource that is Google, which directed us to All Trails but we actually ended up hiking a trail recommended to us by the gas station attendant. She had a son close to our daughters’ age and thought we’d enjoy it. We took her word for it and we absolutely loved it. We’ve been coast to coast, New York, Los Angeles, Portland to Savannah and have never met a person that wasn’t willing to share some tips with us.
What to Eat on your Cheap Spring Break Trips?
Keep it simple! If you have a picky eater, like Punky, don’t bother spending $8 on a kids meal. Visit the local grocery store and shop like you’re at home. Pick up apples and granola bars for snacking. Grab some sandwich bread and have a picnic. If you’re hotel room has a kitchen (which is ideal) stock it up and pack your food. Matter of fact, book through AirBNB to ensure you have a full kitchen. Eat breakfast at home, pack snacks and only eat out when you absolutely WANT to.
It’s not too late, fams! You have plenty of time to pack up and enjoy spring break. If you’ve enjoyed our tips for cheap spring break trips SHARE IT with your friends. We can all use a little help in getting out and having fun. I always say, it takes a village. Spread the word and let’s get out there and enjoy life.