February Break: Let's Start Planning!

Oct 11, 2024

3 min read

If you work in schools or have school-aged children, your opportunities for travel are often limited to the summer and school breaks. Nearly every school district in the US has some sort of April/spring break. Others - although it seems to be becoming less common - also have several days to a week off in February. If you're in the latter category, it's time to start making those plans!

February is a great time to travel; it gives us something to look forward to after the chaos and excitement of the holidays, and if you live in a cold climate, it can be a nice respite in the midst of chilly temps. That being said, it can also be a stressful time to hit the road. Here are a few tips that can help you during a typically busier than average travel season.

Although it's not as expensive/busy as travelling over spring break, flight prices to popular destinations for February travel can definitely creep up, especially from cold to warm climates. Airfare can vary drastically day by day, and perhaps not surprisingly, weekends are the most expensive time to travel. If you can stretch your time off by a day or two on either end and avoid flying Friday through Sunday, you'll likely save quite a bit of money on fares.
In February, travelers are typically searching for one of two things: sand or snow. For this reason, beach and ski resorts tend to be at their top pricing tiers during this time. If you want a change of scenery but don't want to break the bank, think about heading somewhere that isn't a beach or a ski resort. Have you always wanted to visit New York City and see a Broadway show? Is Yellowstone on your wish list? Nashville? Madrid? Paris? This is the time to do it! It's very likely that you'll be able to score some major deals on less-popular travel destinations. The weather might not be perfect, but truthfully, with climate change moving the needle so drastically globally, it's unwise to plan for "perfect" weather, no matter what season you're traveling in.
I'll admit that I am guilty of almost never buying travel insurance. That being said, if I were going to take a trip in February, I absolutely would. Whether you're flying, driving, cruising, train-ing, or using any other mode of transport, winter weather can wreak havoc on your plans. Keep in mind that the weather might be completely clear where you are, but storms across the world can have an impact. A snowstorm on the east coast can significantly delay a flight from the west coast if the same plane that's en route from Boston is supposed to fly out from California later that same day. Travel insurance typically isn't that expensive, but it can save you thousands of dollars if your plans get upended. At the very least, book refundable flights and hotels that you can cancel without penalty.
February is a time for flexibility; given the uptick in people on the road and weather instability, it is likely that you'll have a hiccup of some kind, though hopefully not a major one! Do not plan a down-to-the-second itinerary. If you're heading to Disney, perhaps don't buy park passes for your arrival day (or even the next day, if you can avoid it). If you want to make a reservation at your dream eatery, plan it for the middle of your trip instead of banking on being able to make it on your first or last vacation day.
Finally, if you're heading to a warm-weather destination, pack one warm layer, and if you're heading to a cold-weather destination, pack a tee shirt or two. We once went to Disney in December. One day it was 90 degrees, one day it poured for hours on end, and another day it was chilly and in the 50s. We ended up spending money on clothing that we wouldn't have purchased otherwise, simply because our luggage only contained shorts and tee shirts.