Where to Go for Spring Break Instead of Mexico or the Caribbean
Every year the spring break hustle to book the caribbean and mexico gets earlier and earlier. this year, families were asking me to rebook for next year’s spring break before they even traveled.
and it’s true that the weather is best and it is a generally easy travel day from most of the us… but you know that means that pricing and crowds are most definitely coming into play.
so here’s what i’d suggest instead and save your mexico and caribbean getaways for summer or late fall.
For Warm Weather Without the Markup
Morocco. April is one of the best months to go — Marrakech runs warm and sunny by day (mid-70s°F) with cool nights, and the coast around Essaouira stays a few degrees milder with a nice sea breeze. You get souks, riads, the Atlas Mountains, and a completely different kind of "warm weather trip" at a fraction of peak-Caribbean pricing.
Egypt. March is prime season — Cairo sits in the mid-70s, Luxor and Aswan push into the low-to-mid 80s, and the Red Sea resorts hover around 80°F with truly swimmable water. It is high season there too, so don't expect rock-bottom prices, but you're trading Cancun chaos for the pyramids and a Nile cruise, which is a fair trade in my book.
Hawaii. If you want warm weather with zero passport stress, April is one of the smartest months to go. Winter rain has wrapped up, ocean temps are comfortable in the mid-to-upper 70s, and because it falls outside most mainland spring break calendars, crowds and pricing both ease up from where they sit other times of the year. is there a bad time to go to hawaii?!
Fiji ….with a caveat. March and April sit within Fiji's wet season, and it shows — heavy, regular rain and real (if usually localized) storm risk. It's not the trip if you're picturing wall-to-wall sun. That said, the water stays warm, crowds are thin, and pricing drops accordingly, so if a client is chasing a deal and can roll with some rain, it can still work — I just don't oversell it as peak-postcard Fiji. If they can shift the trip to June through October instead, that's when Fiji actually delivers on the fantasy.
For a Europe Fix…Just Not a Beach One
March and April in southern Europe are really lovely, but to set your expectations straight… the sea isn't warm enough to swim in yet almost anywhere.
these are instead my culture-and-coastal-town trips, and they're fantastic!
Marbella. Mild, sunny days in the low 70s with cool evenings. great for long lunches, golf, sailing, and wandering the old town, though the Mediterranean itself is still brisk, Think "Euro spring" energy, not swimsuit weather.
Athens. Best as a culture-and-food trip for spring break.. with a side add on of the athens riviera. the four seasons here does an exceptional job and i love it for a spring break. or Pair it with a few days on a nearby island if you want a taste of the water.
Istanbul. April is a great month to go — mild temperatures climbing through the 60s by month's end, the city's Tulip Festival in full bloom across its parks, and noticeably fewer crowds than summer. This is one of my favorite "big city, big history" spring break swaps.
Malta. Mild, bright, and green this time of year, with sea temps still too cool for real swimming but plenty of coastal walking, culture, boutique hotels, and excellent food. A great pick for a smaller, slower European trip.
Austria Vienna and Salzburg are so pretty in April, with mild days, cherry blossoms, and Easter markets if the timing lines up
England, always on my lists…. and we are gambling a bit with weather - can be chilly still and rain-prone in March but gardens in bloom, cozy pubs, and none of the summer crowds in London or the Cotswolds. dreamy with that rainy england kind of feel.
If You Can Stretch the Week Into Something Bigger
Vietnam. April is one of the best months to go! the north (Hanoi, Sapa) is warm and dry, the central coast (Da Nang, Hoi An) is sunny and swimmable, and even the south, while hotter, is manageable. It's rare to get a month where the whole country works this well at once, which makes it an easy multi-region itinerary to build.
New Zealand. This is my favorite counterintuitive pick: March is autumn there, which means you get the tail end of summer warmth with a fraction of the crowds and none of the Northern Hemisphere's spring-break compression, since it's simply not their season. Mild temps, excellent hiking, and a different kind of trip if your family wants to go big.
Thailand. But with a caveat…. Late March and April run hot (Bangkok and Chiang Mai can push past 95°F with high humidity) so this works better as a resort-and-pool trip than a temple-hopping one, and it's more comfortable earlier in spring break season than later. If you love heat and want a beach resort with excellent food, it can still be a great call.
